


Balance On The Head Of A Pin

by Tilltheendwilliwrite



Series: Blessings of Magic: The Norn's Goddess [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Smut, Romance, Smut and Angst, Southern Belle, Swearing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-08-28 01:37:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 41
Words: 248,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16714090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tilltheendwilliwrite/pseuds/Tilltheendwilliwrite
Summary: When Lauren, the assistant to Tony Stark and the golden darling, southern belle of team Avenger, is called home by her overbearing mother, demanding she take back up with the man who walked out on her and broke her heart, Loki, the once dark God of Mischief, goes with her as her pretend beau. But is it all pretend on Loki’s part? Or is there more to the God of Mischief’s involvement than simply helping Lauren out.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter Warnings: swearing

## Chapter One

 

* * *

At just shy of five in the morning, the sun was beginning to colour the horizon in brilliant pinks and oranges. Though it was crisp - fresh really - the air smelled clean from the washing of rain the night before instead of the usual smog and grime. There was nothing like the view of New York from Tony’s Iron Man landing pad. The city stretched out, the lights glowed like stars, and it appeared as if one floated above the world.

It had become Lauren’s preferred place to practice yoga.

It wasn’t the safest location, what with it being a few hundred feet in the air and not really that big around, but it fit her mat. It also gave her such a sense of clarity, of being completely present in the moment; her awareness of the world so heightened she felt like one with the universe. Lauren had found it impossible to resist the temptation.

Besides, Tony knew she used it. Friday was nothing if not efficient, and had informed her boss thusly after Lauren’s first tentative foray into the wild blue yonder.

At the time, the Avengers had been away at the compound while Lauren had been dealing with long hours and headaches surrounding Stark Enterprises. She had ended up sleeping on one of the couches in Tony’s office when going home had been too much effort. They were big enough to be beds at any rate, though she did her best not to think about what _other_ things Tony could have done on them. She would have easily yacked up her take-out dinner otherwise.

Lauren had learned early to keep extra clothes in her office never knowing what crazy thing was going to happen next in Avenger’s central, so it was nothing for her to slip upstairs to use the team’s gym and showers the next morning.

Venturing into the lounge to enjoy the view, the lure of that shining silver platform glistening temptingly in the early morning sunlight had been too much to deny. She’d been alone, the team not due back for a few more days, and really, what was the harm?

Sneaking out the door like a thief in the night, Lauren had walked up on the platform. There she’d executed a perfect series of Warrior Poses before sinking down onto her forearms and slowly bringing her feet up over her head; pushing up into an arm balance and Scorpion pose.

It had been exhilarating!

Of course, Friday had ratted her out as soon as the Iron Man had landed.

Tony had scolded her harshly. Teased her endlessly. Begged to be allowed to watch, and finally snarled something about ‘ _no bloody way’_ when she told him he’d have to be up at four in the morning if he really wanted to. After, he’d waved her off with his blessing, threatening to fire her if she did anything stupid - like fall off. 

She’d been coming up here ever since.

When long days as Tony’s assistant had become even longer days fielding calls about the Avengers, she had accepted the offer to simply move in. 

It saved time. She never went home as it was, and her neighbor was getting tired of the constant text messages to check on Felix.

Her cat, Felix, had come with her, and the orange haired, fat-cat had turned into a big suck. He spent excessive amounts of time snuggled up and purring with whomever had an available lap, but that was alright. Better he was well-loved instead of vilified. She’d always been a cat person. If some on the team had hated him, it would have been devastating to lose her precious kitty. Instead, Felix had become a sort of team mascot. He bounced between Avengers throughout the day, but at night it was always her bed he slept on.

A wobble in her form had her jerking her mind back to the present and the position she was in. Left foot planted, the right was being held near her shoulder. Her spine curved, turning her into what Lauren had always laughingly called the _Bubble Wand_ pose. Watching the sun burn the sky into flames, she was unaware of the eyes which watched her from inside the tower.

***

Steve, Natasha, and Bucky stood with coffees in hand, back away from the windows so as not to be seen be the sleek blonde who was contorting her body into unimaginable shapes. It had become something of a ritual for them. 

Coffee to get them moving. 

Lauren’s graceful forms to greet the dawn. 

Nat, of course, had been the first to discovered Lauren’s secret sessions when one morning she’d been up early. Instead of rushing outside to give Lauren shit for doing something so dangerous, she’d stood and watched. Peace had filled her with the graceful poses, and after a quick check with Tony regarding safety, Natasha had let it alone.  

The woman repeated the process daily at four in the morning as long as the weather held. Natasha made sure to join her whenever possible; though Lauren never knew it. 

Bucky had been the second to notice. Having heard someone sneaking past his door, he’d followed, watching as Lauren set up her mat for her mostly tame workout. It was only the last fifteen or so minutes which had the woman stretching her feet to the sky.  

Nat just quietly joined him, urging him away when he’d grumbled about foolish women. However, he too couldn’t deny the lure of those twisted poses.  

Afterward, when Steve was having a particularly rough night - the anniversary of Peggy’s death - and had been unable to sleep, they’d welcomed him into their private club. Of course, he’d flipped out. Cap was the one who held with the idea of ‘ _safety first’_ when it came to civilians.  

But Lauren and her grace had won him over. Though she’d never know it. 

Once Steve had learned of Tony’s safety net, he'd calmed down considerably, keeping his comments to himself. 

Lauren wasn’t a showy woman. She would find the attention embarrassing if she ever found out what they were up to. She was quite conservative in both life and her style of dress. A true southern belle, with a little New Yorker thrown in.  

Even though she worked for Tony, there was never talk of impropriety between her and the Iron Man because she never allowed it to even surface as a possibility. So to find her in tight pants and midriff-baring top, a knot tied in it to keep it from sliding around, was rather startling.  

She worked hard for all of them. The entire team adored her dry wit and prim southern charm. The newest member of the team most of all.  

A dark God of Mischief; recently reformed, of course. 

Loki, fresh from Asgard, had come to terms with his past, his family, and his lineage. It had been decided he would become part of the team, though how that decision had come about was still a bone of contention almost a year later. They were wary of him in Asgard, which came as no surprise. They were wary of him here as well, but Wanda had taken a trip through his head, deeming the male honourable in his intentions.  

No one had informed Loki of Lauren’s early morning escapades - why would they - so when he appeared suddenly, not in-the-know as it were, it came as little surprise when a startled gasp exploded from his lips. 

“What in the bloody hell is she doing?” Loki barked, watching the woman in tight pants and flexible spine bring her feet from above her to press to the top of her head.  

“Yoga,” Nat said, sipping her coffee. “She’s very good.” 

“Good? _Good!_! Are you a cart-faring weasel? She could fall off that thing without the slightest provocation!” He was of half a mind to storm out there and yank Lauren from it. 

Nat shot him a glare. “Tony took care of it. There’s a force field that goes up the moment she lays out her mat. Not that Lauren knows that.”  

“And why not?” Loki turned his eyes to the redhead. If there was protection there, around the one he found frustratingly precious, he could somewhat relax. 

“Because half the allure for Lauren is the thrill of the danger.” Natasha looked out the window, watching the woman in question.   

Continuing to balance on her forearms, Lauren raised her feet back to the sky before taking them out into a full split.  

“If you’d shut up and watch, you’d see she’s perfectly safe and capable. She doesn’t even wobble. There’s no straining at all. It’s clear she’s been doing Bikram for years.” 

“You gotta wonder how strong her core is to be able to do that.” Quiet admiration laced Bucky’s voice. 

Steve tilted his head. “She spends an hour doing this every day but won’t step foot in the gym unless it’s to use a treadmill. I’d ask her to teach me, you know, quid-pro-quo with some hand-to-hand, but I don’t want to embarrass her.”  

“You sure you don’t just want to get a closer look at those tight pants, Cap?” Natasha said, fluttering her lashes when Steve glared at her. 

“Har har, Natasha. What I’d like is to be that flexible. I know I’m plenty flexible already, but I sure as heck can’t do _that_.”  

They all glanced out the window at the woman whose body was contorted like an Asgardian magic knot.  

Pulling his gaze from Lauren, Loki looked from one super soldier to the other, humming quietly with disapproval. They admired her, the woman he wanted.  

With Bucky, he knew, though they were very good friends, there was nothing there between the former Winter Soldier and Lauren. No spark. No embers. No carefully banked flames waiting to erupt into a firestorm of passion. They were friends and he could live with it. 

Steve, however, was a much tougher read.  

Captain America appeared uninterested, but… Loki couldn’t be certain. Was this wish to learn the _yoga_ a ploy to earn the affections of the golden Lauren? He would have to keep his eyes on _Cap_. 

Clearing his throat, Loki flicked his wrist at the windows. “So, you simply stand here gawking like voyeurs? Does Lauren even know you watch her?”  

They all shook their heads.  

The God of Mischief couldn’t decide if he was horrified they so infringed on the woman’s privacy, or if he should compliment them on their continued subterfuge. It was worthy of something he would once have done. Might still do. 

“Look, Loki,” Steve said, turning to face the Asgardian. “There’s no harm. Watching is… peaceful. Like seeing a play or ballet or something. And we don’t want to embarrass her by letting her know we know. The only reason she’d be out there this early is to keep it a secret from the rest of us.” 

“Yeah, she blushes so easy. It’s why Sam teases her like he does. If we told her, she’d hide out in her room. Frankly, that’s a great way to start the morning.” Bucky motioned with his coffee cup toward Lauren.  

“Damn. Just… damn…. She’s so _bendy_. If only she swung both ways…” Nat said, laughing when they all stared at her with varying levels of interest. 

While Bucky looked intrigued, Steve had full on blushed, but it was Loki who drew her focused gaze as he glowered at her. 

“Something to say, oh Twisted One?” 

“Hm. Cretin.” Loki glared down his nose at Natasha. She still hadn’t forgiven him for turning Clint evil; even if the archer had.  

“I do believe you are all taking liberties which Lady Lauren would find deeply unsettling. We should leave and allow her to finish her _yoga_ without further espying.” He shooed his hands toward the three of them, arching a brow when no one moved. “Unless you wish for me to walk out there and inform the lady of this little _fete_ you are holding on what appears to be regular intervals?”  

“You wouldn’t,” growled Natasha, jerking her chin up.

“Oh, but _darling_ … how I would.” Loki’s smile was the one which struck fear in the hearts of his enemies.

It got them moving finally.

Grumbling about _Puny Gods_ , something which set Loki rolling his eyes, the two men took the snarling redhead by the elbows and drew Natasha away.

“You coming, punk?” Bucky asked, glaring over his shoulder at Loki.

“But of course,” the God of Mischief said politely, following along behind the three until they went out the door. He sent an avatar of himself after them, keeping the connection going long enough to split-off as if he’d simply chosen to return to his room when, truly, he had never left the one of bar and comfortable couches.

Settling back into a thick chair, one set close enough to see without being seen, Loki admired Lauren’s grace and elegance. She twisted into such inconceivable shapes. Did so with such effortlessness. He found himself envying the wind which blew through her hair.

The wind was allowed to touch that which he coveted. It could blow across the smooth, bared skin of her low back. It could caress the flesh of her abdomen where a tiny droplet of light seemed to flicker.

Squinting, he arched a brow.

The tiny drop was actually a jewel winking in her belly button.

_A piercing. How deliciously wicked of you, darling,_ Loki chuckled to himself. These Midgardians had odd - yet intriguing - customs. He never would have guessed the shy and refined Lady Lauren would have such a thing as a bellybutton piercing. Just what other surprises would he find if he delved into the lovely Lauren?

Again the wind blew, lifting silken strands of gold into the air, whipping them into a frenzy around Lauren’s serene face.

She had a beautiful face.

The first thing he’d noticed about her hadn’t been the luscious curve of her backside, or the long, stately limbs. It hadn’t been the generous mounds of her breasts, or the sleek waist he longed to wrap his fingers around. It wasn’t the laughter which spilled from her like tiny bells, or the sweet, honey-laced drawl when she said such things as, ‘ _Well, aren’t you a peach’_ or ‘ _I do declare’_. It hadn’t even been her face as a whole which had drawn him to her, but the graceful slope of her jawline.

A foolish thing to find so alluring on a beautiful woman, that sharp line which ran from beneath her ear to her pointed chin, but it was so enticing, easily drawing his eye. Especially when she wore her hair high on her head like she was now. The alluring line was special. It led down into her sleek throat. Her swanlike neck would be a wonderful place for him to set his lips.

Skin like the petals of an Amaryllis, the pale cream flower which had been blooming in his room on the day of his arrival, went unblemished. She always smelled softly of a scent she called Amazonia Lily. A quiet scent. A little sweet, a little tart, but it appeared to bubble in his nose; as if he’d lifted a glass of Stark’s champagne to his lips.

He longed to place his nose against her pulse and breathe it in.

High, sculpted cheekbones framed her button nose, resting above plump pink lips. She kept them glossed and shiny at all hours of the day. They looked wet. All the time.

It made him mad for her. For her mouth, for her lips, for her tongue to touch and tease against his.

Then there were her eyes. Had there ever been eyes so green? They were nearly teal at the outermost edge, fading into sage at the center, reminding him of the grasses of Asgard.

They could cut straight through him when she was angry. Appear soft and inviting when she was happy. They changed with her mood like Stark changed t-shirts. They were gems. Beautiful, unique, stunning jewels whose exact colour he could not remember seeing in any part of the many worlds he’d traversed.

His attention, which had wandered with his musings, was snapped back to the present when Lauren, back on her feet, stretched her arms up over her head.

Her back arched in the process. She smiled, a glorious sight, backlit by the fire of the rising sun over the city. Her soft pink shirt, a sleeveless tank top, had a knot which was tied at her waist where her arm would naturally hang. It seemed an odd spot.

He wondered if it interfered at all with her… _yoga_.

Dark, nearly black pants, exceptionally tight on her legs and firm round behind, ended just below her knees. Slashes of gold broke up the darkness.

Her feet were bare.

The observation had him cocking his head. How had he not noticed her bare feet swaying in the air?

She stepped from the mat into a pair of flimsy looking sandals and crouched to roll up the odd-looking mat. It was thicker and seemed… _springy_ compared to the carpet beneath his feet.

He wondered at it. Wondered if she’d let him touch it. If she’d let him touch… other things.

She headed for the door, picking up a light sweater she must have discarded earlier. Pausing long enough to slip her arms through the sleeves and do up the zipper, she pushed inside.

With a flick of his wrist, Loki made himself invisible.

***

Feeling warm and loose, Lauren sighed happily. She loved these morning workouts.

Heading for the far side of the room where Tony had cleared out a cabinet for her mat, she skipped down the stairs, her flip-flops slapping against her heels. Her mat wasn’t something she wanted to pack through the tower just in case someone was up wandering around early. Her clothing she could brush off, claiming she was going for a walk as her sweater covered her adequately. The mat, however, was a dead giveaway. Tucking it inside, she shut the door to the cabinet and turned toward the bar with the mini-fridge.

She was thinking longingly of a bottle of water when her phone rang.

Digging in the pocket of her sweater, Lauren tugged it free, glanced at the display, and groaned - loudly. It was time to gird her loins. Taking a deep breath and plastering on a smile, she swiped to answer. “Good-mornin', mama.”

“Lauren. I didn’t think you’d be up yet, what with you keepin’ those _city_ hours of yours.”

Her mother never did. It didn’t matter how many times Lauren explained she got up early to do yoga. Yoga was a foolish endeavour. Just like moving to New York and becoming Tony Stark’s assistant. “I’m always up early, mama. You know that.”

“Don’t you sass me, Lauren Guillemin. Just because you work for that Stark man doesn’t mean you’re in high cotton!”

She flinched at the harshness in her mother’s tone.

It was always the same. Nothing was ever good enough for Magnolia Annandale. This was especially true of the daughter who had left home after being left at the altar by the first man she’d ever loved. According to Magnolia, it would have been better form to stay in Greensville, suck it up, and continue on with grace and poise rather than running away from the problem.

Lauren hadn’t been able to do that. “Yes, ma’am,” she said, even though she didn’t want to. “Is there somethin’ you need, mama?”

“Well, I just had to call and tell you the news, Lauren. I couldn’t believe it when Mary Ann Dalton, _bless her heart,_ blurted it out at the grocers just plum full of herself.”

“Mama, you can’t let Miss Mary Ann get to you like that. You know she’s just tryin’ to wind you up,” Lauren sighed softly. Would it never end? Both the call and continuously being drawn back into the drama.

“Not this time! You’ll never guess what she told me. Never. Not in a million years.”

“Then I guess you’d best tell me.”

Her mother huffed an annoyed sound when Lauren refused to play her game. “George left the little hussy he took up with and has come back to town. Apparently, he’s been asking about _you_!”

Lauren’s legs gave out, and she sat hard on a bar stool. “No, mama.”

“Yes! Now, Lauren, you just pack up and come on home. Our annual Fourth of July party is in a few days. We can have you fixed up and turnin’ heads before he comes back.”

“No, mama, you don’t understand.” She couldn’t go back, didn’t want to. Would never take up with George again after all he’d done. The lying, cheating bastard could go straight to hell as far as she was concerned. “I have no desire to take George back. I’m happy here.”

“Well, shut my mouth. _Happy_? Lauren Guillemin! Have you gone and lost what little good sense the Lord put in your head? It’s high time you settled down with a nice fella, and George Montgomery is a perfectly acceptable candidate!”

“For a lying, cheatin', scallywag! No, mama! I have no desire to get back with George. And besides, I’m… I’m seein’ someone.” The words were out before Lauren could stop them. She deflated and slapped a hand to her face. It took serious willpower to muffle a defeated groan. How stupid could she be?

“ _What_? Why I do declare! Lauren Guillemin, if you’re fibbin’ to your mother…”

“No! Of course I’m not!” But she so was. _What the hell am I doing?_

“Well, then. You’d best be bringin’ this… _fellow_ of yours along when you come home for the Fourth. Your Daddy is gonna want to make sure he’s right for you.”

“Like he made sure _George_ was right for me?”

“Watch it, young lady! You’re Daddy has always put you girls first. Don’t you go back talkin’ your father now.”

Lauren made an affirmative grunt, sending her mother into a petulant round of fluttering, disgruntled sighs, and melancholy moaning before she finally asked the dreaded question.

“Just what is the name of this _mystery man_ you’ll be bringin’ home?”

“He’s…” Lauren hesitated, frantically searching for a way out of her blunder.

She could ask Bucky.

He was her friend and would gladly help her out without expecting anything in return. He may tease her, but he’d do it and likely keep her sane while she was in Greensville. Yes, that would work.

Just as she was about to say his name, a voice whispered in her ear, “Loki.”

Lauren nearly dropped her phone she jumped so hard. “Loki!?” she yelped, spinning around to find the man looming large and crowding her space.

“Loki? What kind of name is Loki? Is he foreign?” Magnolia asked.

_Oh crap…_ She was in so much trouble, but it was too late to correct it now _._ “He’s… yes. He’s… not from around here.” Staring up at the man, Lauren swallowed thickly for his eyes were wicked and filled with mischief; those of the dark God he’d once claimed to be. “Mama, I have to go. I’ll see you soon.” She hung up on her mother’s startled protest. “Loki? What are you doing skulkin’ around the tower at this hour?”

“While I do not _skulk_ , I do believe I just rescued a fair damsel in distress. My work for the week is done. When do we leave, darling?” he asked, his smile growing.

“We?”

His hand ghosted across her shoulder, a caress which bespoke familiarity.

She fought down a shiver of pleasure.

“Why, Lauren, my sweet. Have you forgotten me so soon? Am I not your one true love? Are you not taking me home to meet your family? I’m _crushed_ ,” he bemoaned, placing a hand on his heart.

“You lay it on any thicker, and you will be, _sir_ ,” Lauren said, pushing to her feet and past him only to have her wrist captured.

Tugging her to his chest, Loki peered down into her eyes, his grin returning. “Don’t run off, darling. There are plans and preparations to be made.”

“I don’t know what you are talkin’ about.”

“Ah, sweet, naïve, _Lauren_ ,” he crooned.

Why did his voice always do that to her? With each spoken word it dropped, deepened. Made her think dangerous, wicked thoughts about the man with the sinful smile and devil eyes. Eyes which promised nights of passion and pleasure unimaginable. He could make her body ache with nothing more than a glance from behind those long lashes.

Not that she would ever get the chance to act on such longings as he had never shown the slightest interest in her. Though she was practically head-over-heels for him. “I am not naïve, Loki. No matter what you think.”

“You, sweet Lauren, are the one who just announced me as yours. Should we _not_ be speaking of this stunning change in our… hm, _relationship_?” He rolled the ‘R’ in relationship.

Lauren ignored the flutter it caused in her belly. “You are the one who surprised me into blurtin’ your name! Whatever were you about, eavesdroppin’ on a lady’s conversation? Which, in case you didn’t know, is considered _rude_ on this world.”

“Oh, Lauren. I was witness to _so many_ interesting things this morning. This call of yours. The display you put on. Why, whatever do you call that intriguing bit of contorting you were doing?”

She reeled back in shock as far as his hold would let her, the colour draining from her face. “You… you watched?” Mortified, Lauren looked away.

Long, elegant fingers caressed over her chin and along her jaw. He cupped her cheek, turned her head, and drew her gaze back to his. There was a frown on his face and concern in his eyes.

Loki had what she liked to call _quick change_ eyes. They ran the gamut from blue to green depending on his clothing colour. Yet, they were always intense. Piercing. Seeming to see directly through her. This close, barely a hair’s breadth between them, Lauren found them to be a blue so vibrant it called to mind the endless vista of a clear summer sky. The blue went on forever.

“Forgive me, Lady Lauren for teasing. You are as one blessed by Freya and Bragi in your movements. There is beauty and magic, poetry and eloquence in what you do. I have never seen anything so…” He shook his head. “It was… _breathtaking_. I simply could not look away.”

_Oh… oh, well…oh my._ Lauren was at a loss, and it must have shown on her face for he smiled. But it wasn’t his smug grin. It was, dare she say, tender? Sweet and kind.

“You should not hide such magnificence from the world, my dear.”

“I… I, _um_ …” She hadn’t _um’d_ in front of a man in years _._

“You what, darling?”

Taking a deep breath, hoping to steady herself, her nose filled with his scent instead. She didn’t think it was artificial. Not that scent. Not with how it wrapped around her senses. Fire laced it, smoke and pine logs. Heat and dark, sensual musk. Her hand grasped still by his, opened to lay against his chest. She could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath it.

Lauren fought for every bit of southern charm she could muster and fluttered her lashes. _When in doubt… flirt_. “Why, Loki. I believe that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Aren’t you just a peach.”

“If this was the nicest compliment I have given you, then I have been most lacking in my duty as a gentleman.” His lips twitched, but his smile didn’t change. His eyes, however, darkened. “I will have to remedy that.” His hand slid from her wrist to her fingers, his thumb pressing into her palm.

She nearly ‘ _eeped’_ in surprise when he brought her knuckles to his lips. Warm and oh so soft, they pressed against her skin.

She sighed, “Don’t that just take the cake.” Utterly astounded by his action, twins spots of red burned to life in her cheeks.

“Mmm, darling. You will never fool your family that way.” Turning her hand over, he kissed the center of her palm. The tip of each finger. Her wrist.

“Loki…” His name came on a thready breath.

“Yes, my sweet?”

“What are you doin’?”

“Preparing you.”

“For what?!” Lauren squeaked when his free hand wrapped her waist and stroked up her spine.

His hand continued up, closed around her ponytail, and tugged her chin up. His eyes dropped to her bared throat. His lips soon followed. “You cannot expect your family to believe your ruse if every time I touch you, you leap from your skin. I'm… of a tactile nature. I like to touch. You must get used to it. Relax, my Lauren.” 

He spoke her name, and his lips brushed the wildly beating pulse in her throat.

“Oh… my… stars!” Should she feel such pleasure in a barely there kiss?

“That’s it, darling,” he said, pulling her flush to his body. Releasing her fingers, Loki encouraged her arm to wrap around his neck.

She tangled her fingers in his hair. _This is a bad idea. Terrible. Horrible. Oh! Is that his tongue?_ Lashes fluttering, she closed her eyes as her unoccupied hand found its way to his waist.

Lips pressed to her jaw. His tongue flicked over her skin.

Lauren sighed and melted. “That’s… so nice.” She could feel the vibration in his chest when he chuckled. _God that’s a wicked sound._

“What the _fuck_ are you doing?”

Lauren jerked back but went nowhere, Loki’s arms like steel. “Bucky. It’s not what it looks like. I mean, well, yes; I suppose it is, but not for the reason you… oh, dang it all! Loki let go!”

“But I wasn’t done, _my_ _love_.”

She looked sharply at the professed god and could practically hear Bucky’s teeth grind together. “Loki.”

A long-suffering sigh preceded the slackening of his arms. “If I must.” But he didn’t completely let go, one large palm continuing to span her waist.

“Dollface, I think you’d best come over here and explain this,” Bucky said, patting the back of the couch he was leaning against.

“What, you don’t trust me, Tin Man?”

“Loki!” Lauren gasped. “That was rude.”

“Was it? How unfortunate.”

Lauren rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs, forcing Loki to let go. They were looking at each other like alpha wolves and she a tasty morsel. “I did somethin’ stupid, Bucky.”

“I can see that.”

“James Buchanan Barnes! That isn’t what I meant! If y’all are just going to be rude and snipe at each other, I’m going to go ask Steve for help and leave you to your peein’ contest!” Eyeing Bucky, she waited for his gaze to flicker to her. When it did, he nodded, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “My mama called.”

“Damn, Lauren. You alright?”

She gave an indecisive shrug. “It is what it is.”

Bucky had once had the misfortune of walking in on her when she was having a particularly nasty fight with her mother via phone. Tears had gathered on her lashes, but Lauren refused to let them fall until she was finished. Then, they’d poured out along with her sad, sob story about overbearing mamas and cheating exes. Her mother just couldn’t believe Lauren hadn’t done something to drive her fiancé away.

Bucky had been so very kind. It was where their friendship had begun. At times, he was the big brother she’d never had. He could also be a mighty pain in the petunia.

“Are you saying your mother always speaks so to you?”

Glancing at Loki, she gave a sharp nod.

His eyes went cold.

Cold enough to make her shiver. “It’s fine, Loki.”

“Like hell it is! Is this typical of Midgardian parents?”

“No, it ain’t,” Bucky said, eyeing the God of Mischief curiously.

“Loki.” Lauren patted his chest to calm him down.

His hand closed over hers, trapping it against his heart.

“It’s nothing I’m not used to, peaches.”

“It is still not right. Frigga may not have been my mother, but she still treated me as her son. With kindness and care.” His eyes changed again, turned troubled.

“Don’t let it ruffle your feathers. You’ll never make it through the Fourth if you do.” She wasn’t sure when she’d decide to go along with this charade, he just seemed so hell-bent on helping. It wasn’t like she didn’t know he meant nothing by his actions. He wasn’t interested in her seriously, just a spur of the moment offer. Perhaps a little trick to see him freed from the confines of the tower. Still, he’d offered, and she was accepting.

Turning to Bucky, Lauren sighed. “George is back in town. I’m expected to come home and take back up with him.”

“Fuck! You ain’t going back there alone.” Bucky stalked toward her. The murder strut all the women swooned over evident.

She could admire the stride, even if she didn’t covet the man.

“No. Lauren is not,” Loki stated with finality.

Again the two men eyed each other like they were fixin’ to scrap, and Lauren stamped her foot. “Y’all just cut that out now. I’m a big girl, and this is my family. I’ve been dealin’ with mama for twenty-six years. I’m sure I’ll be dealin’ with her for another chunk of time.”

“Still, Gilli. She wants you back with that asshole.”

“Bucky! You promised!”

Bucky flinched. “Sorry, doll.”

“Gilli?” Loki asked, a smile twitching his lips.

Scrubbing her hands over her face, Lauren groaned. “Guillemin. It’s my middle name. We’re off topic here fellas. Mama wants me home. Wants me back with…”

“The turd fucker?”

“James!”

“It’s true!” His face showed zero remorse.

Clenching her jaw, Lauren shook her head. “Perhaps it was fortuitous that Loki made the… _offer_ to stand as my beau when I made the mistake of lyin’ to her before I could ask you. I think you’d be a bit brusque for mama to handle.”

Bucky chuckled and snagged her hand to tug her away from Loki, spun her once, and dipped her back over his arm. There he pressed a smacking kiss to her lips. “I’d think you’d want a little shock and awe factor.”

“I want her off my back, Bucky. Not in a grave.”

“So, you chose the Puny God instead?”

“I resent that implication. _You_ were not even present at the time of its inception,” Loki said harshly. His face was hard, anger simmering in his eyes as he turned away.

Unable to help herself, Lauren slipped from Bucky’s grasp and moved toward Loki. She’d always had a soft spot for the brooding, dark character in novels or movies.

The once god fit that bill a bit too well.

“Loki?” She flinched when his eyes flashed her way and laid a hand on his arm. She stroked the sleeve of his light green button-down shirt.

He’d taken to wearing more Midgardian styles, and she thought he looked dashing in the elegant cut of his shirt and dark slacks. He dressed like a businessman more than an Avenger.

“Bucky’s just teasin’, ain’t that right, hun?”

“Sure.”

“That was convincin',” Lauren scoffed, curling her hand around Loki’s elbow. Turning to him, she found softer eyes and smiled. “I appreciate your help in this. My mama can be… difficult.”

His hand closed over hers. “I am yours for as long as you wish it.”

She ignored the snort from Bucky. “Why thank you, kind sir. I do believe you will make a fine southern gentleman, even if you’re not southern. Least you ain’t-a yank.”

“Hey!”

A smirk flashed at Bucky’s outburst. Loki’s signature one which made him look like a God of Mischief should.

“I need to get going. Breakfast, shower, all that. We’ll talk later?” Lauren asked.

“Whenever you wish, fair maiden. Unless you need assistance with the washing of your back?”

“Loki!” Her face flamed. “Do go on!”

“Is that a yes?”

“No!”

“Ah. You say things, darling, that I often assume mean others,” Loki laughed.

Sputtering, Lauren detangled herself from his clinging hands. “You’re a wolf in sheep’s clothin', I just know it! Away with you.” Flicking her wrist, she shooed him off.

“What a queen you would make. You have the royal to peasant act down pat.”

“Well, aren’t you just chugged full of yourself. One would think you’d never kissed a girl before. It’s gone straight your head.” Shaking hers, Lauren stalked away.

Loki materialized in front of her, spoiling her exit. “I technically didn’t kiss you, darling. Is that what you were aiming for with your comment?” His hands were, again, in her hair and on her back.

Before she could say otherwise, his lips descended, and her brain stalled. A soft glide. Tender press. Gentle coaxing kiss. She moaned without meaning to.

Jerking back, Lauren’s fingers flew to her lips. “Loki?”

“Darling?”

“Why?”

“Why not?” He tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear.

“Oh. Ain’t that the berries.” Without another word, Lauren rushed from the room.

***

“Hm,” Loki hummed. “I do wish she’d speak plain English. I do not know what that means.”

Clearing his throat, Bucky called attention to himself. “You best not be playing with her.”

“And if I am?”

“You’ll have the whole team down on your head.”

They exchanged another round of stares before Loki nodded. “I am not, as you say, _playing_. Though this opportunity has afforded me a, hm, head start in my pursuit.” He could simply _be_ with Lauren. There would not be the messy wooing to do.

“Buddy, if you think you ain’t going to have to work for that woman…” Bucky laughed. “Maybe I’ll just let you muddle through on your own.”

Loki ignored the jibe. “Tell me of this _George_.”

“He’s a turd fucker. Plain and simple.”

“Again you astound me with your eloquence and poetic nature, Sergeant Barnes. How do you do it?”

“Fuck you.”

“I’d rather not.”

Silent staring commenced once more before the Winter Soldier snorted. “I’ll give you the high points. The rest, you ask Lauren.”

“Agreed.”

“George is some big shot southerner. Banking or some such shit. Lauren was, for lack of a better word, groomed for him. Her parents and his had it all arranged, but he left her at the altar. Fucker was screwing some other broad.”

“Explain _left at the altar_.” It was not a term Loki was familiar with.

Bucky blinked, the surprise clear on his face before he motioned for Loki to join him on the couches.

Sitting facing the former Winter Soldier, Loki picked a coaster up off the side table. He morphed it lazily from one form to the next, a thing he did when he wished to busy his hands. It was an absent gesture. It meant nothing. Perhaps he did it more when he was anxious, but he wasn’t about to admit to it.

“You familiar with our wedding customs?” Bucky asked.

“Bride. Groom. Religious house. Vows exchanged before your singular god. Celebration.” He waved his unoccupied hand in the air.

“Essentially, yeah. Getting left at the alter basically means, on the day of her wedding, Lauren was at the church, waiting to exchange vows with the fat-head, only he never showed. Ran off with his side piece. Left her to deal with the shit storm and fallout.”

The coaster, now a golden ball, froze as Loki did. “He did not break it off? Simply left her on the day of their vows?”

“Yeah. Fucker.”

“And _this_ is who her family demands she return to?” Loki was aware how his grip on the coaster had tightened, he didn’t realize how much until the item in his hand shattered and fell to the ground. Jerking to his feet, he paced. “Dishonorable miscreants! How dare they force this upon her. What plebeian brain decided such actions were acceptable?”

A dark chuckle escaped Bucky and Loki turned on him.

“You find this _amusing_ do you?”

“Not this. You. You really do have a thing for her. I never would have guessed.” Wry amusement filled the Sergeant’s face.

Sniffing disdainfully, Loki stalked to the window’s and glared out at the city. “What of it?”

Bucky appeared silently at his side. “It’s good. She deserves someone who’ll treat her right. I wouldn’t have thought that would be you, but I see the way you look at her.”

“Hm.” Loki glanced Bucky’s way. “I am the last one you would want with her, is that not correct?”

Bucky studied him for a long moment. “All I know of you is what the others have said. You and I, we don't have the history. I’m not biased like Nat. I may give you what for, but I know you’ve got our backs out there. Proved it a couple times now. So, you do right by Lauren, and I’ll have your back in this.”

Shocked, Loki could only stare for a moment before he regained his composure. Clearing his throat, the former god nodded. “On Asgard, if one were to do to a woman what was done to Lauren, the males of her house would be expected to hunt him down.”

“Yeah? Then what?” asked Bucky.

An evil chuckle rumbled in Loki’s chest. “Then the fun would begin.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Fluff and Swearing

 

* * *

****“Hell no!” Steve said, the words bursting forth with vigour.

“Steve, please!” Lauren begged, clutching her hands in her lap. This was not what she’d expected to happen when she’d gone to see the Captain about Loki going to Greensville with her. Sure she’d assumed there would be a little resistance but not _this_ much.

“Lauren…” he trailed off with a sigh. “He hasn’t been part of the team long enough, or off probation for that matter, to agree to this.”

“So you’re sayin’ you don’t trust your own teammate?”

“I’m saying I don’t trust him to run around Greensville _unsupervised_!”

Lauren swallowed the ridiculous tears which were threatening to spill down her face and pushed to her feet. “Alright, Cap. If that’s your final decision.” She nodded, not looking at him, and headed for the door out of the office.

His hand closed over her elbow before she could escape. “Lauren? What’s really going on?”

“Nothin’. It’s fine. Stupid family stuff I never should’a dragged him into in the first place.” She shook her head, still refusing to look at Steve. “It’s all good, hun,” Lauren choked out.

“No, it’s clearly not.” Steve pulled her back and forced her onto the couch. “What’s going on, Lauren?”

She sat, head bowed, eyes on her hands, twisting her fingers together. No one but Bucky and now Loki knew about Greensville. About her mama. About getting left at the altar. She tried a final time to avoid the inevitable. “It’s nothin’, Steve. Please. Forget I asked.”

“I don’t think so, doll.”

With a sigh, Lauren raised her eyes to his and watched the panic race across his face. It set her slouching, an action which would have horrified her mother. “It’s all gone catawampus,” she said, swiping at the tear which spilled down her cheek.

Steve reached for a box of tissues and dumped them swiftly in her lap. “I don’t know what _catawampus_ means, Lauren, but you can’t cry! Not in my office!” 

His nearly frantic denial had a small smile flitting across her face, and her tears drying up. Taking a tissue, she dabbed at her eyes. “It means sideways, askew. My whole life went to hell this mornin’.”

“What did he do?”

“Who?”

“Loki.”

“Don’t be goin’ off half-cocked, Cap! Loki’s not at fault for anythin’ that happened this mornin’. It’s my fault. I did somethin’ foolish. He’s only tryin’ to help me out.” Taking a deep breath, Lauren forced herself to calm down. When she got riled up like this, her southern came out with a vengeance. “My… relationship with my family is… strained, to say the least. Especially with my mama.”

“How so?”

She rubbed her palms on her dark blue pencil skirt before closing her fists on her knees. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t bandy this about, Steve.” She glanced his way, and he nodded, concern showing on his face. “Four years ago, right before I moved here and got in as Tony’s assistant, I was… I was…” her breath hitched, “I was left… at the altar.”

Steve made a soft sound, but she couldn’t tell if it was pity or anger that resided in it. “You were getting married? And he _left_ you?”

A wry smile flirted with her lips. “George ran off with his mistress.”

“Lauren…”

She shook her head, the pity now present in his voice and eyes. “The thing is, my family’s never forgiven me for leavin’ after. My... my mama especially. She always liked George. Sometimes I think she liked him more than me.”

His hand closed over hers, warm and strong and offering comfort. “What’s this got to do with Loki?”

“She called me this mornin’, my mama. Full of news and scorn and disapproval. It seems George is back.”

“So?” Steve scoffed.

“He’s been askin’ after me. I’m _expected_ to come home and pick back up where we left off.”

“Like hell, you will!”

She laughed softly and squeezed his hand.

The angry flush on his face was nice to see. It meant he was on her side, and she needed that.

“So I said to my mama, but… I did somethin’ foolish.” Releasing his hand, she pinched the bridge of her nose. “It happened faster than a knife fight in a phone booth. I lied to her. Told her I was seein’ someone.”

His eyes widened in disbelief. “And you chose _Loki_?”

“Heavens to Betsy, Steven!” she exclaimed, throwing up her hands. “Why are y’all so hung up on Loki? He’s a good man tryin’ to help me out of the stupid situation _I_ got myself into. I know y’all have history with him, but I’d be much obliged if you’d get off his back!”

He studied her for a moment, blue eyes assessing.

Lauren lifted her chin, defiance written all over her face.

“Just explain one thing to me. Why Loki? Why not Bucky, or me for that matter?”

She passed her hand over her hair, smoothing down her sleek tail, hoping her nerves didn’t give away the second lie she was about to tell today. If she told Steve Loki had basically tricked her into it, he would really throw a fit. “He was there, and he was willin’. Besides,” she forced a laugh, “Bucky is rather… _blunt_.”

“And me?”

“You’re about as famous as the flag, Cap. If I dared ever tell my mama, I was dating _the_ Steve Rogers, why she’d have the weddin’ planned and my trousseau sorted. Hell, she’d be fixin’ up the old cradle and pushin’ for the first baby.”

He blushed, the action adorable, and set Lauren laughing.

“Don’t worry, sugar. I wouldn’t let my scary mama back you into a corner.” Leaning forward, she patted his cheek.

Steve smiled and shook his head. “So… Loki.”

“Loki.” She nodded. “He may be an Avenger, but he’s not such a public one, what with y’all never lettin’ him out.”

He frowned but ignored her dig. “What’s Bucky got to say about all this?”

“Since when did James Barnes become my keeper?”

He arched a brow. “Like he’s not going to have an opinion on the matter?”

“Even if he does, I’m a grown woman, Steve. And Loki has been nothin’ but a gentleman about the whole thing.”

And there went lie number three. She could still feel the imprint of Loki’s lips on her throat and mouth even hours later. His hands on her body, the wash of his breath across her skin. The scent of him lingered in her nose.

“Lauren?”

She snapped back to the present. “Yes? Sorry, my mind wandered.”

“Hmm.” Steve hummed. “I saw.” He rested his elbows on his knees and heaved a sigh. “How long will you be gone?”

“Week, maybe less if I can’t stand to be there longer. I have to at least get through the Fourth.”

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Steve sighed a second time and relented. “Fine, but I want to hear from you every day. And,” he held up his hand when she squealed. “If he does _anything_ , and I mean _anything_ , Lauren, to make you uncomfortable, or if he pulls any stupid tricks, I’m calling you both back. You get me?”

“Absolutely!” She threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. “Thank you, Steve! I was so worried I’d have to go home and they’d know I was all hat and no cattle.”

“Dollface, I don’t know what that means,” Steve said, hugging her back.

Pulling away, she patted his cheek. “S’okay, sug’. You just saved me from the experience. You’re a peach.”

He blushed again, making her giggle.

Jumping up, she straightened her skirt. “We’ll be leaving tomorrow, early. Would it be alright if I borrow Loki this evenin’? If he’s going to play my beau, I kind of need to prep him for it.”

Steve got up and opened the door. “You do what you need to, doll. Just… promise me you’ll stay out of trouble?”

She laughed. “Why, Steve, just how much trouble could a girl get into with the God of Mischief?” With a little wave, she rushed away, needing to finish up the bit of work she had left for Tony.

Steve watched her go, shaking his head. “How much? Too much,” he muttered, stalking back into his office and shutting the door, unaware of the hard eyes of said god which watched him.

***

Later that evening as Lauren stripped out of her work clothes, she went over all the things she figured she should explain to Loki about her family, and what he was getting himself into. Along with that, she knew he was right in how they needed to be more comfortable physically with each other.

A blush burned high in her cheeks. He seemed plenty comfortable with their physicality. It was she who had the issue. Blushing like a schoolgirl or leaping out of her skin every time he placed his hands on her.

In light of her personal revelation, she’d invited him to join her for dinner. The dress she’d chosen, while not what she’d typically wear in New York, was very much in keeping with her southern roots. It was a blush pink A-line which flared gently at the hips. A skinny white belt wrapped her waist, matching the short white kitten heels, and pearls graced her throat. Instead of the sleek ponytail she’d worn all day, she’d left her hair loose and curling around her shoulders, flowing over the cap sleeves of her dress. All in all, she looked the part of the southern belle her mama had raised her to be.

When the knock came, she swiped a quick dab of lip gloss over her lips and went to get the door. With a smile, she swung it open only to find the scowling visage of Natasha Romanoff standing before her. “Nat?”

“Loki?” Natasha spat coldly, pushing past her into the room.

“Natasha, what?”

The redhead spun around, snarl on her lips. “You’re going out with Loki? Running around with the Puny God?”

“Natasha! That’s quite enough. Don’t go sayin’ somethin’ you can’t take back!”

“What the hell were you thinking, Lauren?”

Shocked, Lauren gaped at her.

They were all so hell-bent on making Loki into this bad guy when he was merely trying to help her out of sticky situation. None of them gave him the benefit of the doubt. None of them had even asked her if she was okay with it. They all just kept jumping down her throat, making assumptions and trying to govern her life no different than her mother.

Lauren had had quite enough of it. “You know what, Nat? Be like the old lady who fell out of the wagon!”

“Fuck, Lauren! Don’t give me those southernisms of yours! Speak plain English for Christ’s sake!”

“You want plain English? Fine! It’s none of your business, Natasha, so butt the hell out!”

“What the hell’s wrong with you? You know what he did!” Nat shouted.

“And I know he regrets it! He wouldn’t be here if he didn’t!” Lauren hollered. “He’s been here almost a _year_. _A year, Natasha_! And in all that time he’s done nothin’ but have the back of each and every one of you. Yet you can’t see past your own hatred to see he’s tryin’! Goddammit, he’s _tryin’_! Hell, even Clint’s forgiven him, but you can’t? Who’s really got the issue here?”

“You don’t know what he’s capable of!”

“Yes, I do!”

Shock cascaded over Nat’s face before the solid mask of disinterest locked all her feelings away.

“I read each and every file that crosses Tony’s desk. If y’all don’t think I don’t know _exactly_ what Loki’s capable of, well, you’d be wrong. And the one thing I know for certain, if y’all keep looking at him like he’s crooked as a barrel of fish hooks, he’ll turn out that way.” Still holding the door open, Lauren motioned towards it. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m waitin’ on my date for the evenin’.”

“You’re making a mistake,” Nat said as she walked out.

“Then it’s my mistake to make.” Lauren shut the door firmly. Stalking to the sofa, she sank down on it and put her head in her hands.

Evidently, Steve had done what she’d asked and not bandied her history around, but she should have known this impromptu change in her _‘relationship’_ with Loki would cause tensions to rise for some of the team.

When the gentle touch to her shoulder registered, she jolted upright. Loki was sitting beside her on the sofa.

“Loki? How in the world?”

“Lauren…” His eyes were a soft blue, so full of gratitude she instantly relaxed.

“You came through the door invisible, didn’t you?”

He nodded.

“So… you heard…”

“Everything…” His voice was rough with emotion. “No one but Thor has ever… you stood up to her, your friend, for me.” He sounded so astounded Lauren’s heart hurt.

“Oh… oh, Loki. You’re my friend too,” she said, her hands rising to gently cup his face.

His eyes darkened, and the colour deepened. Long, elegant fingers were suddenly threading through her hair. Blunt masculine nails skated over her scalp.

She had to bite her cheek to keep from moaning.

“Only your friend, my Lauren? I thought I was so much more?”

Dark velvet. That’s what his voice sliding over her felt like. Again she inhaled his scent, heat and musk and something which wrapped around her senses and made her whimper.

“You are,” she whispered.

“What am I to you?” His mouth was a hair’s breadth from hers. His breath, warm and smelling of mint, washed across her lips.

She had to close her eyes when all the sensations became too much. The hands she held to Loki's cheeks slipped down to his neck and back to tangle in the long hair at his nape. She revelled in the soft texture when it spilled through her fingers. “You’re mine…” For now, anyway.

“Exactly, my sweet,” he whispered as his lips descended.

The second kiss rivalled the one from this morning, then surpassed it when the once dark god licked a searing line of heat across her bottom lip. A startled moan of pleasure gave him an opening, and his wickedly dancing tongue was suddenly in her mouth. It teased hers, coaxed it to twist and writhe with his. The hands in her hair tightened, drawing back and down as he turned his head. The new angle sealed their mouths together, and Lauren moaned in pleasure.

Sharp, throbbing beats of desire were streaking through her, centering between her legs in a way they never had when she’d kissed George.

Was this how she was supposed to feel? Was this how pleasure should truly taste? She had been intimate with George only a handful of times. He was her first and was supposed to have been her last, but nowhere in all their encounters had she felt anything close to _this_.

“Stop thinking so hard,” Loki murmured against her lips. “You’re mine, I’m yours. Relax, darling.”

“Loki.” Lauren’s breath caught when his mouth shifted to her throat. “I think I’m well prepared to fool my mama.”

“Do you now?” He tipped her to her back on the couch, making her squeak out in surprise. Hands skimmed up her ribs, thumbs caressed the underside of her breasts.

Her startled moan was loud and very wanton. She could feel the wetness pooling between her legs soak straight through her underwear. Eyes snapping open, Lauren stared up into the hungry blue pools above her. “I don’t…”

“You don’t what, my love,” he asked, tenderly touching her cheek.

“Understand…” This was just supposed to be a ruse. A game. A gambit to throw off her family. Why did it suddenly feel like so much more?

The hungry look shifted to one of patience when he sat up and drew her up with him. “Forgive me, Lauren. I got… carried away.”

“Oh,” she cleared her throat looking down at her clasped hands. “That’s… that’s alright.”

“Your words to the disapproving Black Widow simply… _undid me_ ,” he breathed against her ear.

Lauren shivered, breath quickening as desire streaked through her again. “Loki, stop teasin’.”

“I do believe this is flirting, darling,” he chuckled.

Her gaze lifted to see his cocky smile. “Well, ain’t you just the tom-cat’s kitten.”

“Again with the phrases I do not understand.”

“You’re a terrible flirt.”

He gasped in mock outrage. “I beg your pardon! I’m an excellent flirt!”

“Which isn’t somethin’ you should brag about, _sir_.”

Capturing her hand, Loki brought it swiftly to his lips, kissing the center of her palm. She had her heart stutter, then skip a beat entirely when his teeth nipped into the fleshy base of her thumb.

“You were saying?” he asked coyly.

“Was I?” she replied breathlessly.

“Hm,” he hummed happily. “I guess you weren’t. Dinner?”

“Desert?” she asked, making him chuckle.

“Only if you’re a good girl.” Leaning down, he kissed her again.

Lauren couldn’t help herself the third time. Not when she knew he tasted of mint and dark chocolate laced with heat, like cocoa spiced with chillies. She kissed him back, sucked his lower lip, bit it gently, and slipped her tongue between his teeth. The flavour was even better when tasted at the source.

There was an instant of surprise before arms of steel banded around her. He drew her in and up, and she found herself perched on his knee.

Thrusting her hands into his hair, Lauren forced his head back and closed her lips over his Adam’s apple. Absently, she wondered what they called it on Asgard. They didn’t hold to the same religious context there as they did here on earth. Was it called an Odin’s apple instead?

All thought on the matter flew straight out her head when she nipped the flesh gently, causing him to moan. _Dear heaven…_  It was a glorious sound. Dark and wanton. She wanted to hear it again. Wanted to taste it when he made it.

Kissing his throat, she worked her way to the rapid fluttering of his pulse. Licking at it made him shudder, so she did it a second time. She sucked hard enough to leave a mark and finally pressed her teeth into his skin.

When he moaned again, she was quick off his throat to catch the tail end, shivering as a new flavour crossed her tongue. Something cool like a peppermint patty filled her mouth. _Frost giant_ , whispered through her mind.

Ice was in his blood.

“Oh god…” she moaned against his lips.

“Yes, I am.”

Her mouth fell open at the cocky tone and laughing blue eyes, but it was his hands sliding up her back which made her quiver. She looked down. Her eyes narrowed back on the fluttering beat in his neck. Leaning closer, she brushed her lips over that spot, nipped it, felt him freeze. Rising up, nibbling along his jaw, she made her way to his ear. She licked the shell, whispering in it, “I like tastin’ your moan.”

“Fuck,” seeped slowly from his lips.

She laughed softly and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Will you moan for me, Loki?”

“Vixen,” he growled, turning to catch her lips.

He thrust his tongue between her teeth, forcing her mouth open so when he moaned, a deep, dark sound of desire, she tasted all of it. More of that frost flavour slid down her throat, and Lauren shivered. 

When he finally pulled back, she licked her lips. “Delicious.”

His breath shuddered out. “You, madam, are trouble.”

“Never mess with a southern girl… _my Loki_ ,” she said, pushing from his lap. A fairly bright blush coloured her cheeks as she pretended not to notice the bulge in his trousers or the way he subtly shifted himself. “I think, perhaps, we should go to dinner before I do somethin’ else foolish.”

“Oh? And what foolish act are you contemplating, Lauren?”

“A lady never tells.” She scratched Felix’s chin, her cat had appeared from somewhere, before picking up a light wrap and heading for the door. “You comin’, _peaches_?”

The God of Mischief grinned wickedly at her. “A few more minutes on your couch and I could have been.”

Her face flamed, and she turned away. “You must think I’m a hussy. Taking advantage like that when you’re only tryin’ to help.” She wondered if being around him could make others more inclined to mischief. She’d never been so forward with her ex.

Loki was just so… so… _scrumptious_. He brought something out in her, she hadn’t known existed until he’d pressed his lips to hers. He had her backed against the door so fast, Lauren hadn’t even seen him move and gasped in shock.

His lips skimmed her cheek on the way back to her ear. “Take advantage, I give you permission. In fact, I insist, sweet Lauren.”

Laughing softly, she shook her head and pushed him away. “Thank you, Loki, but I’m sure I can keep my hands to myself. It’s sweet of you to make me feel better though.”

He frowned at her, a look she couldn’t decipher crossing his features before it cleared. “Shall we, darling?” he asked, stepping back and offering his arm.

She took it without hesitation, just now noticing the elegant dark suit he was wearing. “We shall.”

***

Dinner had been a revelation of how very different this world was from his own. Not the food, or the dining part, he’d been out to eat a few times with Thor and Jane, but with how strange Lauren’s upbringing had been.

She’d been born into an apparently well-off family, the middle child of three daughters. Her elder sister, Marabeth, was married with two young children to a man from another well-to-do family. Someone who had the right last name.

He understood that part, the right name. After all, he’d been Loki Odinson most of his life, though he went by Loki Laufeyson now. It had afforded him certain privileges, being an Odinson.

The younger sister was unattached. Lauren had warned him Cissy, born Priscilla, could be a bit overwhelming at times. Dramatic at others. She didn’t say it, but he inferred from the look on her face and the way she bit her lip this _Cissy_ had a tendency to cause trouble. Little did she know she’d be up against the God of Mischief himself.

Her father was some sort of horseman, something which intrigued Loki. He’d always enjoyed the Asgardian steeds and was interested in seeing what the Midgardians had to offer.

Here, again, she didn’t have much to say. She spoke of her father very little. Talked only of the farm she’d grown up on and how her father was often gone to the club, or golfing with his peers.

Her mother had been much more present, taking the girls in hand and sending them off to cotillion for etiquette lessons to learn proper manners, putting them in pageants, making their debut as debutantes. It had been during her first season when her mother had introduced her to George and his family. During the third, at nineteen, when they’d started making plans for Lauren and George to marry. They’d chosen to wait until she was twenty-two, only because George was finishing University.

While he didn’t understand everything she’d explained, much of the socialite world she’d been born into hard for him to fathom, he got the gist of it.

This _George_ her mother was so fond of, no better than a Bilgesnipe in his mind, had Lauren promised to him. He’d then walked away from that promise four years ago, and was, now, returning to see it fulfilled. Which was as likely to happen as Ragnarok.

Loki would never allow it.

The more she’d spoken of her family, her life, her past, the more he’d wanted to tell her they would _not_ be returning to her former home. New York was her home. The Tower and the Avengers. Where people liked her for who she was, saw the real her, and respected the brilliant, independent woman she had become. But that was not, unfortunately, his decision to make.

As he could attest to, seeing as how he was sitting across from her on Stark’s private helicopter watching her twist her fingers together.

“Lauren, sweetheart, come here.” He patted the seat beside him.

Lauren looked up sharply, wiped her palms on her sleek white pants, stood, and joined him on the seat where he sat, one leg crossed over the other.

Though he preferred dark colours, he’d bowed to her wisdom when she’d recommended the lighter ones, noting her hometown was rather humid and hot. Especially this time of year. So he’d dressed in the tan linen pants and soft blue, nearly white, short-sleeved polo shirt. He hadn’t missed the way her eyes had lingered on the exposed flesh of his forearms, or how she’d licked her lips when he’d crossed them, causing his muscles to flex.

It appeared his Lauren liked a man with a fit physique.

She, too, had dressed for the weather in knee-length white pants and pale, mint green top. It tied at the back of her neck, leaving her arms and shoulders and most of her back bare. Her golden hair was pulled into her usual sleek tail, and her makeup, slightly heavier than usual, had her eyes looking especially green.

Placing his arm behind her, he drew her to his chest, encouraging her head to rest against him. Loki slowly stroked his fingers up and down her back and was pleased when she confidently cuddled into him.

It had been shocking last night when she’d labelled herself a _hussy_ , and stated he was _only_ helping her. Clearly, she’d missed he meant more by his assistance then just getting her family off her back. He’d have to make sure she knew his intentions by the time they returned to the Tower.

He placed a kiss on the crown of her head. “Do not fret, darling. I would never allow them to hurt you.”

She sighed, her hand playing with the button near his throat. “I feel like all I’ve told you is the bad parts, but there’s good, too. You’ll see. The picnic on the Fourth, and the fireworks… they’ve always been my favourite. There’s swimmin’ in the creek and walkin' through the oak groves and seein' the Spanish Moss hangin' from the trees. The town puts on this amazin’ barbeque and dance…and my gran. She’ll think you’re just the bee’s knees she will.” She trailed off, and he placed a finger beneath her chin.

Tilting her face up, he smiled for her. “If I am with you, my Lauren, then I will be most content.” Leaning down again, he placed a tender, slow, sweet kiss to her lips.

The gloss she perpetually wore tasted like strawberries. Loki cupped her cheek and held her there, lips moving together in a seductive dance which set his heart racing.

A silky moan escaped her, and she sighed into him. Her hand wandered up to lay against the side of his throat, thumb grazing his jaw.

Loki curled into her, pressing her back into the seat. His hand shifted to her shoulder and slid over the skin of her arm, all the way down to her hand where he linked their fingers together. He nipped softly at her lip and lifted his head enough to brush his lips along her cheek. “I am yours, fair Lauren. Do with me what you will.”

“Loki,” she breathed shakily.

He smiled at the sound. “I mean it, Lauren. Whatever you need, I am at your service.”

Her eyes opened, the green the darkest he’d ever seen them. The want in them, the desire humming in her blood, was startlingly clear.

Yet, he knew from their time together, from what Lauren herself had confessed, this _George_ had been her only lover. If he was going to seduce the golden Lauren, which he was damn well going to, he was not going to do so in the back of Tony’s aircraft. Sitting back, he drew her close again, and placed her head beneath his chin. “Why not rest here a moment, darling.”

She did just that, her hand sliding over his chest. “I aim to take you up on that. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Are you so worried I will mess this up?” Offence filled his words.

“Not you, me. I’m afraid of what I’ll do if they keep shovin’ George at me.”

“You will do nothing. At this time, you are my woman.” There was no mistaking the way she shivered when he claimed her. It set him grinning over her head. “Asgardians protect what is theirs.”

“My, ain’t you got gumption.”

Tracing his fingers up her spine, Loki sighed. “I do believe you have used more of those _southernisms_ in two days than I have heard in a year. What, pray tell, is _gumption_?”

“It’s a way of saying you’ve got spirit. I think I like how you Asgardians think.”

“What’s not to like?” 

A soft snicker escaped Lauren. “Please avoid smashin’ the cups like Thor did.”

“Hm, he is a brute at the best of times. Still, he has always had my back.”

Relaxing further, she sighed. “He’s your brother. That’s his job.”

“Are you falling asleep, darling?”

“No. Just checkin' my eyelids… for holes,” she sighed again and drifted off.

“A likely story, my Lauren.” Loki stroked her back, well aware of the stress this was causing his precious one. He didn’t like it. Not in the least.

After dinner, once she’d ascertained he’d be appropriately attired and he’d seen her to her room, he’d been cornered by both Steve and Tony. They’d threatened him with the typical hellfire and brimstone wrath of Captain America and Iron Man if he should do anything to harm or endanger Lauren.

As he’d just listened to her speak on the state of her _family,_ he didn’t think it was him they should be worried about. Well, maybe, should her family prove… _vexing_.

He’d been about to say as much when Bucky had sauntered into the room packing Lauren’s cat.

The former Winter Soldier had wandered up beside him, _him_ , not Steve or Tony, and had given the two of them a hard look before sending him a solid smirk. “Tell Lauren I’ve got Felix while you’re gone. Good luck with her mother. I sure as shit wouldn’t want to be standing where you are. Piece of advice? Maybe don’t use that insult you spat at Nat on the helicarrier.”

“Mewling quim?”

“Yeah, that one,” Bucky had chuckled. “Not a good idea.” Then, with a nod, he’d walked out, packing the fat orange cat in his metal arm, leaving the two other Avengers standing there, mouths agape and staring.

The former Winter Soldier had given his blessing to the endeavour. The man who was most protective of Lauren hadn’t shown a hint of concern.

Loki had felt very smug, very satisfied when he’d walked out after Barnes without so much as a peep from Steve or Tony.

Bucky had his back, as he said he would.

It was an odd feeling for Loki, having someone besides Thor give him the benefit of the doubt. And he’d had two people in less than two days show him such faith. It was surprisingly... nice.

When Lauren sighed, turning further into him, her leg sliding over his knee, and her hand falling toward his lap - a dangerous position for his rather innocent Lauren to be in - he was swift to catch it. Looking down on her face in repose, Loki allowed a trickle of his magic to flow out around them. The space within the aircraft flickered, shifted, morphed, and he reclined the two of them back, legs stretching out as the seat became a divan, lush and thick.

Pillows mounded behind him as she settled out along him lengthwise. He placed her hand back on his heart and continued to gently draw his fingers up and down her spine.

“Friday,” he said quietly.

“Yes, Loki?” came the disembodied voice.

“Inform me when we’re twenty minutes out.” With the AI’s agreement, he turned his nose into Lauren’s apple-scented hair and allowed himself to drift.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Light smut, lots of fluff, over the top Loki

 

* * *

A feather-light weight tickled Lauren’s ear. It moved in slow, gentle passes along the shell, causing the sensation to slip into the dream she was having.

The Spanish Moss was hanging heavy from the oaks as she walked through the forest on her way to the ol’ swimmin’ hole. It dangled down far enough to brush her shoulder, tickle against her ear, and set her swiping at it. A big rattan bag bumped at her hip, over the white cotton crocheted cover-up which hid her bikini. Beat up leather sandals protected her feet from the twigs and rocks of the path but showed off the dark pink nail polish which graced her toes. Vanilla scented the air from the magnolia’s blooming down by the water.

It made Lauren smile. She’d missed the sweet scent being in New York. Another brush of moss tickled her ear causing her to pull slightly away.

A wicked chuckle rumbled by the same ear, and she startled to find Loki walking at her side. She giggled and turned toward him, her bag falling from her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Well, ain’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

“Have I been gone so long, my Lauren, your eyes have grown weary looking for me?” he asked.

She nodded, her smile turning coy. “You’ve been gone simply _forever_ , peaches.”

His hands slid around her waist, hot and strong, kneading into her flesh before sliding up her back. One splayed between her shoulders, the other delved into her hair. His eyes twinkled with a mischievous light, making the blue sparkle in a way which sent heat rushing to both face and belly. “If I kiss you, fair maiden, will you forgive me my absence?”

Biting her lip, trying not to smile like a fool, Lauren gave a slow nod, anticipation coursing through her. The hand in her hair tightened, pulled, and she gasped. The light in his eyes grew wicked and hungry, lids lowering to partially hide his lust. His head descended, and his smirk grew. Lips brushed hers, a butterfly caress. Once, twice. The third time they pressed firmly, moved leisurely, seduced her into opening her mouth and accepting his tongue.

A low moan broke from her throat. A mewl of pleasure followed when Loki licked her lips. She arched into him, rolled her body into his, and tightened the hold she’d placed on his neck.

His arm tightened, and the superhuman strength of his came into play when he picked her up, spun her around, and pressed her into the rough bark of the tree at her back.

A startled but aroused, “Oh!” erupted from her lips when his dropped to her throat.

“Lauren,” he breathed against her skin.

She shivered and clawed at his back. Heat and wet, a stroking tongue worked over her pulse. “Loki, _please_.”

“Lauren…” He bit lightly at her jaw making her moan. “Lauren, my dear…” A heavy weight squeezed down on her side. Another warm one fell across her thighs. “Lauren, sweet Lauren. You must wake…”

She was awake... wasn’t she? “Why?” she asked, giving a quiet sigh when lips walked her cheek.

“We will be landing soon, darling.”

Landing? Another hearty chuckle broke through a good deal of the fog as sleep slowly lifted. “Loki… don't stop…”

A kiss was pressed to her lips. The warm weight of his body was right there, so strong and hard. She arched into him, hands messing his hair, grinding into the weight pinning her down.

“I see you are having a pleasant dream, Lauren, my love, but there isn't time.”

“Loki, you keep calling me that, I'm gonna want to believe it,” she sighed, the words slipping out as her lids fluttered. Was she really asleep, dreaming she was awake? Or was she awake, only drifting?

“Would that be so bad, lovely Lauren?” His whispering lips kept skimming her jaw and throat, back to her ear and over it.

Sighing softly, she opened her eyes, blinking at the interior of Tony’s helicopter.  “Loki?”

“Yes, Lauren.”

“How did I… how did we… what's goin' on?” she asked, his previous question going unanswered in her surprise.

When he lifted his head, she glanced at him and nearly moaned. His lips were full and red, indicating he'd been using them for quite some time. Heavy-lidded eyes gazed down at her, emotions clouding them. He looked remarkably pleased with himself.

“You went to sleep, darling. This was simply more comfortable for us both.”

She stared agape at the heavy silks and plush divan, the mounds of pillows, but mostly she stared at the God who lay at her side.

His hand on her ribs was the weight she'd felt in her dream, and his leg - thrown carelessly across her own - was the other corresponding weight. He was cuddled up with her, wrapped around her as tight as a creeper vine, but she was no better.

Her hands were so tangled in his hair her grip had to be borderline painful. His nose was, again, dragging over her cheek, and a sultry sound, almost a purr, was rumbling in his chest.

“Did you… _magic_ us?” she gasped.

He nuzzled against her ear. “Technically I ensorcelled the interior. We simply benefited from my magic.”

Lauren pouted, lower lip poking out. “You did magic, and I missed it.”

Humming softly against her skin, Loki’s voice was muffled when he asked, “You would want to see me do magic?”

“I’d be as happy as a possum eatin’ a sweet potato if I could!” Lauren exclaimed.

“Possum eating a sweet potato.” He lifted his head to look at her. “My darling Lauren, you say the most… _unique_ things.”

She blushed and looked away, hands sliding out of his hair. Being in New York so long had citified her some, but the southern kept slipping out. “I... I’m sorry. Havin' to go home just… brings it outta me.”

“Lauren,” he said, placing his fingers on her cheek, turning her face back to his. “I find it charming. Even when I don’t understand a word of it.” His knuckles caressed her cheek.

Lauren’s eyelids fluttered with the tenderness of the action. “Ain’t you sweet,” she whispered, pleased and embarrassed in equal measure.

“It is you who is sweet, my Lauren.” He kissed her lightly, a soft peck on her lips before he sat up, drawing her up with him. “So, you wish to see my magic?”

Curling her legs up beneath her, Lauren nodded. “I’ve seen you do small things, change the coasters, play pranks and stuff, but nothing on this scale.” She flicked her fingers over the fringe edge of a satin pillow.

He took her by the waist and drew her in close, until she was practically in his lap.

She looked at him questioningly.

He only shrugged, smirk still in place. “Watch,” he said, raising his hand.

Lauren’s eyes were glued to his fingers as green mist seemed to appear around them. It glowed softly, no brighter than a fairy light. It swirled with the roll of his wrist, flowing out in small arcs and curls. The immaculate space he’d created wavered, morphed, shimmered slightly and returned to the former glory of Tony’s overpriced helicopter.

Her feet hit the floor with a solid thump when the divan disappeared.

Lauren squealed in delight. “Well, shut my mouth! That was so cool!” Lifting her hands to either side of his neck, she stroked her thumbs along his jaw, completely undone with how amazing he was. “What’s it like? Were you born with it? Did someone teach you? Does the magic, I don’t know, _feel_ like somethin’?” She bit her lip when his grin got bigger. “I’ve just… I’ve always been… curious about you.”

Loki burst out laughing and tugged her impossibly closer. “I learned from Frigga, my adoptive mother, to wield the magic of Asgard. And I could show you what it feels like, if you’d like.”

Challenge laced his voice. Challenge and seduction. The look on his face warned her there was more to his offer than some sort of lesson. But, here again, she felt a part of herself rise to the challenge, as if a wicked imp whispered in her ear.

“I’d like,” she said, eyes dropping to his lips before returning to his piercing blues. “Very much.”

His brow arched, pleased apparently that she’d accepted. Though the wicked light in his eyes was… almost the same as what showed when he tricked someone, yet, still, she trusted him to know what he was about.

“As you wish, _Lauren_.” He leaned in as if to kiss her, causing her breath to hitch, only he dropped his head to her throat, and drag his nose along her pulse.

It set her heart slamming in her chest.

“I noticed it while you slept in my arms,” he said, displeasure strong in his tone. “You smell… wrong. What is this _deplorable_ scent?”

“A gift from my mama. It’s expected I wear it when I'm here.” She shuddered when he growled his disgust. Why did she find that sound so sexy?

“It is atrocious. I dislike it. You smell of… hn, old flowers and _weeds_. You won’t wear it again.” He lifted his head and locked eyes with her. “Will you, my love?”

It was both question and command. An enticement and a warning. It made Lauren weak in the knees, and she wasn't even standing. Falling into those blue pools, she licked her lips and swallowed so she could speak past the lump in her throat. “No, Loki. I won’t wear it again.”

“Good girl,” he praised her, hands lightly caressing her hips, and tracing patterns up her back. “Shall I fix it for you?”

“Please,” she whispered, so incredibly aroused she was surprised she didn't just burst into flames. What in the world was he doing to her? And why was she not more concerned by it?

“Such a good girl. Such… pretty manners. That deserves a reward.” Taking her chin in his hand, he tipped her face up. “Open your mouth, my Lauren.”

Parting her lips, Lauren watched his come closer. A pulse raced through her, over her skin, like static electricity.

His mouth closed over hers, and the frost flavour she was beginning to crave flowed over her tongue.

Heat and cold warred inside her, grew stronger, continued to pulse in ever-growing intensity. She didn’t even realize she’d thrown her arms around his neck until her breasts connected with his chest.

Ripping her mouth away, Lauren threw her head back and cried out. Pleasure the likes of which surpassed anything she’d felt with him so far blew through her system.

“Oh! Oh, _Loki_!” she moaned, body shaking.

“Breathe, darling. Let it flow.”

A high pitched whine escaped her lips, and she dug her nails into his back. She breathed great, heavy gasps, holding tight to the God of Mischief until the pleasure peaked and poured out.

It was _exquisite_!

Collapsing into Loki, Lauren panted against his shoulder, a few tears falling on his collar. “Oh, my stars…” she whispered. “How do you stand it?”

“Practice. Centuries of it. I’m also not human, darling. Plus, I was required to give you my magic, pour it inside you so you could feel it which is always much more… _potent_.”

“It felt like…”

“Felt like what, my sweet?”

She sat back, allowing her arms to unlink and relax from their tight hold. Lauren blushed and couldn’t look at him when she said, “Like what I expect makin’ love should feel like. There was more for me in these moments than all the times I…” She trailed off, embarrassed to have admitted to something so personal. He just seemed to draw the honesty right out of her. Was this, too, part of his power? _Could_ one lie to a God of them? Or was it just not possible.

He was very still for a moment, so still, she began to grow uncomfortable, finally darting her eyes back to his. It wasn’t like she could pull away to look, not with how tight his arms around her were. Catching the look on his face, she nearly gasped. His eyes were dark, dangerous, almost feral, and watched her like a hawk.

“Loki?” she whimpered, retreating into herself. “What’s wrong?”

They cleared so swiftly, his eyes, she could have sworn she’d imagined what she’d seen.

“Nothing, darling.” He kissed her cheek. “We are almost to your home.”

“Oh! I must look a fright!” Lauren’s hands flew to her cheeks.

“Not a fright. Perhaps a little,” he chuckled wickedly, “dishevelled, but nothing I cannot easily correct.” His hands lifted to pull hers away, replacing them with his own as he lightly glamoured her makeup and fixed her hair.

Green light flickered at the corner of her eyes, but all she felt was a coolness caress her skin and wash over her hair. “Why is it different this time?”

“Because there is barely a touch of magic. Little more than a thought to control. What we did was more of a… _sharing_. There was much more power involved.” His hands shifted from her face to her shirt, tugging and straightening, fussing in a way she was unused to.

She shooed them away. “I can do that.”

“What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t see to my woman?” he asked.

Grabbing for his hands, Lauren held them still in her lap. “Loki? What’s happening here?” There was so much more going on than just him helping her with her family.

He looked at her, long and hard, emotions washing over his face in such rapid succession Lauren was hard pressed to follow. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, the helicopter touched down.

Lauren snapped her eyes to the door. “Loki, I’d be much obliged if for at least the next thirty minutes you didn’t leave my side.”

His lips pressed to her cheek, and his arm wrapped her waist. “Whatever you need, my sweet.”

***

Her heart rate spiked the instant the plea to stay with her left Lauren. The wild thrumming of her pulse in her throat had him holding her tighter, bringing her closer, putting aside his own desires for the moment to be what she needed.

Drawing his nose along her cheek, an action he noticed both soothed and aroused her, Loki brushed a trailing caress down to the rapid flutter and inhaled deeply. “Ah, there is my Lauren. My Amazonian Lily. What a… _hm,_ delightfully beautiful scent.” He could eat her up she smelled so delectable.

“Loki,” she sighed, body melting into his.

A smile tugged at his lips. Her pulse slowed as her mind drifted away from her worries. Exactly what he’d intended. 

“Come, darling,” he murmured, placing a kiss against the alluring line of her jaw.

He drew her by the hand to her feet, led her toward the door, and through it when it opened, stepping out into the hot, humid air. It slapped him in the face, the moist wet heat, nearly making him grunt in displeasure before he adjusted his internal temperature. Such was the benefit of being born a frost giant. Brushing back his hair, Loki pulled Lauren beneath his shoulder and took his first look around at her home.

They’d landed on a wide swath of well-groomed lawn. The colour was a vivid green, healthy and lush. What trees dotted the area were tall and old. Beds of brightly blooming flowers spread out in symmetrical lines and curves, surrounding the light grey gravel of the circular drive. A fountain sprang up from the center of the circle, big and ostentatious, nothing like the elegant ones of home.

Everything was too perfect, too contrived, too… _false_ for his liking. All of it went against the natural flow of the land, against its nature. It was as if someone was trying to showcase their wealth.

When he shifted his gaze to the house, his brow arched. The big white place was three stories tall, wrapped in porches and balconies held up by columns. Dual staircases led up to the covered entryway, curving slightly as they rose, requiring one to walk up to get to the main floor of the house.  The house spread out from the box-shaped front, the right side rounding into a large bend, jutting out into an elongated turret. The left was nearly a home of its own with a peaked roof instead of flat like the main building.

He knew little of human dwellings, nothing at all of this variety, and peered down at Lauren where she stood beside him, twisting her fingers together. “While your home appears… lofty in stature, I do not understand the nature of the layout. Why does the bottom section appear so short compared to the second and third story? Is there something undesirable about the ground level?”

Lauren shot him a small smile. “Back when the farm was a sugar plantation, at its inception, the basement there was for the servants. Kitchen, living quarters, storage, and all that.”

“And now, Lauren?” he asked.

“Mostly storage. The wine cellar. I think Daddy put a gym down there a few years ago. The house was modernized before I was born, moving the kitchen and such upstairs. Mama has a tendency to renovate when the mood strikes.”

“Indeed,” he said, leading her away from the aircraft, wind from the slowing rotors lifting their hair.

“Oh! The bags,” she said, trying to turn back.

Holding her in place, Loki flicked his wrist. “I have them.”

“Really?”

“You doubt me?”

“I guess not,” she giggled.

The sound made him surprisingly happy.

When they made the base of the wide cement stairway, the door to the house, a massive oak structure as white as the rest of the place with a large brass door knocker opened to reveal a woman only slightly older than Lauren. _Marabeth_ , _the elder sister._

“Well, look at you arrivin’ in style,” she said with a smile.

It was sharp, predatory, and Loki disliked her instantly. Did his Lauren have _no one_ in her family who treated her with kindness?

A darker blonde than Lauren and with hazel eyes, Marabeth was heavier as well. Thicker in the hips and waist than his svelte, flexible woman. She was dressed in a white suit jacket and skirt, navy blue shirt, and white strappy sandals. The rings on her fingers flashed in the light when she crossed her arms.

“Mr. Stark insisted,” Lauren said, her smile brittle.

He moved his arm from around her shoulders to settle reassuringly against Lauren’s low back. “Now, Lauren my love. You know Tony would be quite offended to hear you call him _Mr. Stark_.”

The woman’s eyes swung to him, widened slightly, and travelled the length of his body when Loki reached the uppermost step.

It insulted him greatly. Who was she to admire what so clearly belonged to her sister?

“Loki, meet my sister, Marabeth Avirett. Marabeth, Loki Laufeyson.”

She stepped forward and held out her hand.

He only looked at it. “Charmed... I’m sure.”

Marabeth extracted her hand, her face pinched, and anger in her eyes. “Well, ain’t you just… something else,” she said, her smile faltering before she turned to head inside. “Mama and daddy are waiting on you in the library, Lauren Guillemin. I’ll send Lafayette to retrieve your bags from that… _monstrosity_ on the lawn.”

“You needn’t concern yourself, madam. The bags are taken care of.”

Marabeth paused but didn’t turn, continuing into the house after only a moment more, and he glanced down at Lauren. She’d bit her lip to keep from laughing, shooting him a look of such gratitude it made him feel powerful. An odd thing, considering he already was. 

“Thank you, Loki,” Lauren whispered.

He only hummed in acknowledgement, firming the touch he kept on her back.

Stepping over the threshold into her ancestral home, he had to bite back a sneer. The hardwood floors shone with a layer of highly polished wax. A stairwell, directly across from the door, rose up and split into two, curving up and outward toward the second level. A large, round oak table sat between him and the stairs, a blue and white vase filled with orchids rested upon it. More columns framed the openings.

Dual doorways led from the entrance to either side of the hall, doors which slid within the walls almost fully recessed, allowing him to see into either room beyond this entrance. But it was the paper on the walls which had his nose wrinkling in disgust.

 _Who in their right mind wants pale yellow walls with blue flower vines tangled upon it?_ It was ugly. Disgustingly so.

“Loki?”

He looked to Lauren.

“This way.” She held out her hand, and he took it, linking their fingers together.

Marabeth was watching them, so he lifted Lauren’s fingers to his lips, nibbled on her knuckles, and kissed her wrist. “Apologies, darling. I was simply admiring your mother’s _lovely_ home.”

Her eyes danced with amusement. Her understanding of the inflection he’d placed upon the word evident on her face. She was so observant, his Lauren, she knew him far better than he’d realized if she could read his tone that well.

“Mama takes great pride in her home. I’m sure she’ll be pleased as punch you like it,” Marabeth called from her place between the open doors.

Lauren bit her lip, her smile wide with her back to her sister, the mischievous light glinting in her eyes again. It made him want to kiss her. Take her by the hips, jerk her up against him, and sink into her lush mouth. The mouth which tasted like the finest of Asgardian wines. She was addicting, his sweet Lauren.

Leaning closer, he lowered his voice to a whisper. “You keep looking at me like that, I will simply have to kiss you.”

“Like what?” she whispered back.

His grin became a wicked one. “Like you are auditioning to be my high priestess. All that mischief in your eyes. Be careful, sweetheart. I may just accept you into the position.”

“You have a _high priestess_?” she hissed.

Loki lowered his head till they were nose to nose. “I _am_ a God, my dear.”

She stared up at him, mouth slightly agape for but a moment before her grin spread, and she slapped him gently in the chest. “Tease! You’re pullin’ my leg.”

He shrugged, face only a little smug. “Perhaps.”

“Are ya gonna continue to keep mama and daddy waitin’, Lauren Guillemin?”

“Don’t get your knickers in a twist, Marabeth Augustine,” Lauren rolled her eyes, still looking at Loki.

 _Better_.

He could have purred with satisfaction to see her stand up to her sister. Instead, he tightened the grip he had on her fingers. Tilting his head, he gave her a wink and straightened up to follow after Lauren when she led the way through the double doors.

The new room was a parlour, frou-frou chairs and all. Polished wood furniture, lacy curtains, weird colourful floral rugs. Glass and porcelain statues, clocks, and chandeliers. It was _pink_. Even the cream walls had a border of pink flowers. It nearly made him shudder it was so revolting.

Long strides took them through the room, past multiple seating areas, to another set of double doors. These ones led into a slightly less ostentatious dining room. The furniture was more substantial, more in keeping with a masculine taste. The rug which covered the hardwood floors of darker, reds and golds, the mouldings white, and the walls burgundy. A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room above the walnut table and eight padded chairs. Between the heavily curtained windows stood a mirror. An enormous one. One which ran from floor to ceiling.

As they passed by it, he glanced toward it and lifted his chin, smiling at the way he and Lauren looked together. His golden one walking at his side, a perfect foil to his dark might.

She glanced toward the mirror as well, blushing a pretty pink across her cheeks. Stroking his thumb over her wrist, he felt her heart kick up. Her nerves had returned, and her shoulders were tightening.

Detaching her hand from his, he shushed her with a look and tucked her fingers in his elbow, drawing her in against his side. It was a gesture of support and protection. An expression which was sorely lacking in this world.

She smiled up at him, looking into his eyes when they walked through the final door.

“Well, bless my heart! There’s my knee-baby!”

 _Holy Odin and the halls of Valhalla!_ The voice was worse in person than it could have ever been over the phone. High pitched and nasal, he quelled a flinch though Lauren’s eyes squinted when she could not entirely control hers.

She took a breath, turned her head, and he watched her smile freeze and fall away. Her entire being stiffened with indignation. “What’s _he_ doing here?” Lauren asked coldly.

“Lauren Guillemin! Is that any way to greet your mother or speak to a guest?” her mother scolded.

Slowly, Loki lifted his head. A wolf on the hunt could not have looked more menacing if it tried.

Sweeping his gaze around the room, he took in the walls of books, heavy leather chairs in a deep cognac colour mixed with high backed green cloth ones, dark chocolate couches, and deep cherry panelling. A stone fireplace graced the back wall and above it, hung a portrait of some ancestor or other, the clothing on the people from long ago. But it was the people within the room he zeroed in on.

Marabeth stood off to the side with a man dressed along the same lines as himself. Light grey pants matched his suit coat. A white polo shirt stretched across a pot belly, Loki noticed disdainfully. He would never allow himself to fall into such a state. It was disgraceful. The man’s dark hair was grey at the temples, and the glasses he wore spoke of his poor eyesight.

_Pitiful. No challenge._

He must be Marabeth’s husband, Samuel.

The woman with the voice was next. She was undoubtably Lauren’s mother. They were nearly identical in looks, though Magnolia was well into her fifth decade. Shades lighter, her blonde was of the bottled variety. An ageing woman’s last-ditch effort to retain her youth. Her dress was cream, sleeveless, tight through the bust, fitted in the waist, and flared out from her hips similar to the one Lauren had worn the night before. It had floral bouquets in pinks and golds and blues upon it. Her heeled shoes were a bubble-gum pink complete with bows.

She looked absurd. Like she was trying to be Lauren’s sister, not her mother. Was there any wonder why Magnolia was so crass to her daughter? The woman was working so hard to be something she had long grown too old for.

She was ageing - poorly - and resented it.

The salt and pepper hair of the man at her back bespoke his age loud and clear. Lauren’s father, Hoyt, was a big man. Tall. Strong. He, too, wore tan pants and a blue shirt. No jacket. His eyes, ones which showed where Lauren’s had come from, were narrowed and assessing.

Loki didn’t like being eyed and narrowed his own in warning.

Hoyt’s fell away, and Loki’s moved on to land full-force on the man Lauren glared at.

Caramel coloured hair curled around his face, hanging into his dark brown eyes. Loki begrudgingly admitted the male was… pleasing enough. He had decent features, but he wasn’t of Asgard. Dragging his eyes down the male interloper, he took in the muscled physique, the cocky stance, the much too appreciative stare of _his_ woman.

“ _Darling_?” Loki poured every ounce of possession, every drop of seduction, into the single word and had all eyes turn to him. Being a God was so good. “Who is this… _person_?”

Her eyes lifted to his and the angry flush on her face faded. “George Montgomery, my ex-fiancé.” 

Her hand had come off his arm with her anger. He wrapped his around her waist and drew her to his chest. “Truly?” he asked. “This is the man _foolish_ enough to cheat on you, my Lauren? I may have to shake his hand. His loss is my gain after all.” But he didn’t move away from her, only cupped her cheek and smiled. Slowly. Playfully. Seductively.

She melted into him. “I’d prefer he simply went away.”

“Lauren Guillemin, you watch your mouth! George is my guest,” Magnolia berated.

“A guest you knew I had no wish to see.” Lauren sent her a glare. “Why is he here, mama?”

Marabeth stepped forward. “Now, Lauren. You know mama and daddy have your best interests at heart. Why George is here to make amends. He wants to see you again, and well, we just assumed you were lyin' when you said you had a fella.”

Loki felt the power surge within him. Rage burned with her sister’s words. With the inference. With the lack of faith. “As you can clearly see, I am not a contrivance of your sister’s imagination.” His voice rang with authority, causing the woman to flinch.

“Loki, don’t,” Lauren pleaded.

“They insult you, my heart. Besmirch our love. I cannot allow such a thing to go unanswered!”

“You sure picked a fancy replacement, Lauren,” George quipped.

“Watch your tone, _human_ , or I will show you just how fancy I can truly be,” Loki snarled.

“Well, paint me pink and call me purple.”

“Oh, sweet Jesus. Here we go…” Lauren whispered, her head falling to Loki's chest.

He turned to look at the newly arrived speaker framed within a second doorway and arched his brow in sudden understanding of Lauren’s previous statements in regards to _Cissy_.

Unlike her blonde sisters and mother, this woman, a few years younger than Lauren, was brunette, petite, and wearing a strapless ruffled purple dress, tied in the front with a big white bow. An incredibly _short_ purple dress.

“Cissy! Why land's sakes, girl! We can see plumb clear to the promise land!” her mother exclaimed.

“Oh, mama. This dress ain’t that short.” Cissy waved a dismissive hand.

Sharp blue eyes turned his way. Again he was assessed as if he were a side of meat by another of the females in this family. It was something Lauren had never done, or if she had, he’d never chanced to notice it.

“My, my, my, Lauren. How you’ve come up in the world,” Cissy smiled slyly. “And as for you, George, why would my darlin’ sister take you back when she’s hooked in such a… hm, _fine_ man?”

“What the hell you talkin’ about, Cissy?” George snapped.

Cissy ignored him, slinking her way across the room. “You know, hun, when mama dun told me you’re new beau’s name was _Loki_ , why I just couldn’t believe it. I didn't think it was possible. My mouse of a sister, attracting _his_ notice. Figured if anything it was someone else by that name. But here he stands, plain as the nose on your face. _The_ Loki.”

“Just how many people you think have a name like Loki, Cissy?” Lauren rolled her eyes.

“I don’t understand,” Magnolia said. “And I’m disappointed in your manners, Lauren Guillemin.”

Loki held Lauren tighter, warning her to silence before she could do something foolish like apologize, and gave them all a hard smile. “I do believe you’re correct, madam. How unconscionably rude of _me_ not to introduce myself.” He tilted his head in regal acknowledgement. “I am Loki Laufeyson. Adopted son of Odin. Brother to Thor. Once Prince of Asgard, and the God of Mischief.” Rolling his wrist, he summoned his staff to his hand and dropped the butt of the weapon to the floor. Power rippled out from the connection, gently shaking the room and all within it.

“Dramatic much?” Lauren said under her breath, smirking up at him.

“I did not summon the helmet,” Loki smiled down at her. 

She giggled and bit her lip to cut off the sound.

“You’re… you’re… _that_ Loki?” Hoyt gasped.

“If by _that Loki_ you mean one of the Avengers then indeed I am.”

“I’m _such_ a huge fan,” Cissy cooed, slinking closer.

“How nice for you.” Loki didn’t even bother to look her way. “Lauren speaks so… _highly_ of you all. It is a _joy_ to finally meet my beloved’s family.”

Lauren shivered against him. He couldn’t tell if it was from amusement or anxiety.  

“Why, I’m just… caught with my pants down, Lauren,” Magnolia said. “You could have told me.”

“I did tell you, mama. I told you I was seein’ someone. I’m not a liar, and I don’t appreciate bein’ painted as one.” Lauren placed her hand on Loki’s chest.

He could feel the way it fluttered there, shaking, her guilt in what she assumed was a lie present in her touch.

“Pish, Lauren.” Cissy waved her hand. “We all know you’re all hat and no cattle.”

“Lauren, I want to talk to you,” George stated, walking toward them.

Loki sent him a warning glare which the fool ignored. _Very well, it will be your funeral._ The man was not going to lay a hand on his woman.

“I have nothin' to say to you, George. And Cissy, you’re one to talk.”

Cissy sidled up next to Loki, daring to drag her fingertip down Loki’s arm. Her touch was foul. “You do not want to do that,” he warned.

“My, oh my. Just _look_ at you,” Cissy giggled, fluttering her lashes.

“Lauren, I really think you and I should speak privately,” George said from less than a foot away.

“George! Can it! And, Cissy, so help me God, if you do not take your hands off my boyfriend I will snatch you bald!” Lauren snapped.

For Loki, it was all quite enough. No one listened to his Lauren. They all walked over her protests as if her opinion meant nothing. Cissy had increased her boldness, running her hand firmly up his arm. George was reaching for Lauren as if he had the right to touch her. Her mother was staring adoringly at George, and her father was clearly calculating how best to use Lauren’s new beau to his benefit while Marabeth and her husband were frowning disapprovingly off to one side.

He gritted his teeth together. “ _Enough_!” Loki bellowed, slamming his staff into the ground. It cracked loudly, not so different from Thor’s thunder, causing everyone to freeze. “Remove your hand, woman or I will take it as penalty for touching me without permission,” he said coldly to Cissy. It came off his arm with a snap, but he could tell he'd only piqued her interest with his rejection.

With a simple twist of his wrist, his staff turned into a golden cane topped with a gleaming green stone. He swung it up and slammed the tip into George’s grasping hand, knocking it away from Lauren. “And the lady has stated she does not wish to speak with you. To try and put your hands on her is a great offence,” he snarled, pointing the cane tip at the man. “One which could land you on the wrong end of my anger.”

“You ain’t got a say in this, _pretty boy,_ so butt out!” George snapped, rubbing his wrist.

“Now, y'all just calm down,” Hoyt said, stepping in at last. “We’re all runnin’ a little hot with these surprises and could use a chance to cool down. Lauren, why don't you take Loki to your room and get settled. Show him around the farm if you want, and we'll meet for lunch in an hour.” 

Loki frowned his disapproval. _Some patriarch he is._ Odin would never allow anyone to treat his daughter with such disrespect including her siblings. “Yes, darling. I would very much like to see where _we_ will be sleeping,” he said and dropped the butt of his cane to the floor, sending another wave of power rolling through the room.

“Oh, but I’ll have to get a maid to make up a spare room…” Magnolia trailed off when Loki shifted hard eyes her direction.

“That is not the Asgardian way. We would never allow our women to sleep alone; vulnerable in their slumber.” He glanced toward George and smiled smugly. “Or unsatisfied.”

“Loki, that's enough,” Lauren said, touching his chest. A pleasing blush had appeared on her face.

“Of course, my sweet.” Vanishing his staff, Loki traced his fingers over her cheek, tilted her chin up and kissed her. He didn't stop until George’s teeth ground together. “Take me to your bed, _darling_ ,” he purred against her mouth.

“Loki!” she scolded, her face bright red. “I'm of half a mind to make you sleep on the floor.”

“How cruel of you, my love.” Wrapping her tighter against him, he tipped his voice low, sultry, seductive. “Would you really deny me access to Valhalla? My Valkyrie, you know I only find heaven with you.”

She bit her lip, eyes dancing with amusement, trying hard not to laugh. Her hand caressed the back of his neck as she drew him closer. “You're a terrible flirt,” she whispered.

“I'm a fantastic flirt,” he whispered back.

“Lauren Guillemin! I raised you better. You can't be sharin’ space with a man you ain't married to!” Magnolia screeched.

Growing annoyed with the woman, her anger less about her daughter's virtue and more because the _boy_ Magnolia preferred was not the one in Lauren’s bed, Loki traced his fingers down Lauren’s throat. He brushed them over her shoulder, and along her arm, all the way to her hand where he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the ring finger of her left hand.

She blinked curiously up at him, eyes alight, wondering what he would do next.

_Screw it._

He threw caution to the wind and let his magic spark around her fingers. Bringing her hand to his lips, Loki kissed her knuckles, gave her a wink, and hoped she would play along. “Then it is fortuitous Lauren has consented to be my bride.”

The entire room gasped.

A wicked thrill coursed through his veins at a successfully executed trick. However, he didn’t look away from Lauren to see the reactions. Hers was far more important.

Her eyes widened, mouth falling open as her gaze darted down to the golden ring with the dazzling green stone which now graced her finger. Her lashes fluttered, then lifted, returning up to his. Shock turned her eyes teal before the same enticing, fascinating light, glowed in her beautiful eyes.

“Loki…” Her mouth closed and she swallowed hard. Her spine straightened as she stood taller. “I thought we were gonna wait, peaches until you could speak with my daddy?”

“Oh, dear. I have _quite_ ruined the surprise now haven’t I?”

“ _No_! You can’t!”

Humming irately, Loki glared at George. “What was it you so eloquently said earlier? Oh, yes. You do not have a say in this, so _butt out_!”

“You ain’t got no say in my life, George Montgomery. You were the one who walked out on me,” Lauren stated, her tone cold and unforgiving.

“I made a mistake, Lauren. Can’t we talk about this?” George reached for her arm again.

Loki was having none of it. A swirl of green magic wrapped his hand, wrapped around Lauren, and he appeared between the two of them his favourite dagger in his fist. He rolled it over the back of his hand and switched his grip as he pressed the lovingly sharpened edge against the human’s throat. “My lady is done with you, you dishonourable gutter snake! I will not allow you to upset her further.”

“My stars!” Magnolia gasped. “Lauren! Do somethin'!”

“Loki!” Lauren’s hands wrapped around his waist.

He settled his free one on hers but didn’t look away from the scared eyes of George. “Do not mistake me for some _weak,_ _mewling human_ you can push around! I am of Asgard. What I claim, and who I claim as my own are mine to protect. I do not hold with your ways. I would never betray the woman I love as you have.” Drawing his hand back, he flipped the dagger again, caught it by the flat of the blade and smacked the hilt firmly between George’s eyes. “You have caused me to distress my lady. That is unforgivable.”

Vanishing the dagger, he turned his back on the man. “Darling, are you alright?” Had he scared her? He had not meant to go so far, it was only this _George_ pissed him off.

She peered up at him, but fear was not what he found in her eyes. They glowed with the wicked light of earlier. The mischievous light. The one which made him think of shimmering, diaphanous gowns which exposed as much as they covered, golden bangles on her arms, a diadem placed upon her brow, and her hair flowing in soft waves around her shoulders as she danced for him.

His high priestess. His Valkyrie. His goddess.

_Lauren._

“I’m fine, peaches,” she smiled. “But how’s about we take that tour? I think there’s been enough excitement for one mornin’.” Her hands traced up over his chest.

It felt too good for such a public display. “I will follow where you lead, my love.” Sweeping his eyes over the rest of her gathered family, he smiled. “Apologies if I frightened anyone. It was… _enlightening_ to meet you all.”

Marabeth and Samuel stood together across the room, clinging to each other.

Her mother had a hand wrapped around her throat, fear on her face.

The father was stiff, but his countenance showed only more calculation. Hoyt was going to be an issue. 

And so was the youngest sister. Cissy was dragging her fingers over her décolletage, teeth in her lip, eyes appreciative. She continued to trace them over his body in a very displeasing manner. “Why don’t I come with y’all?” Cissy said, sliding closer.

“Your company is neither wished for, nor required, _madam_.” Gathering Lauren to his side, Loki urged her from the room.

“This way,” she said, tugging him the opposite direction, through the door her sister had used to enter and down a hallway.

“Lauren…”

“Not yet.”

He fell silent, watching her tail of hair sway as she walked quickly toward a stairwell. She darted up it, making him fear for her ankles when she ran on the wedge sandals. Somehow she made it safely to the top, continuing down the new hallway.

They were clearly in the large turret section as the walls curved slightly. To his left was a balcony rail which he peered over. On the floor they’d left was an open room with more highly polished floors. A ballroom if he wasn't mistaken, one lined with windows.

About halfway down the hall, she stopped before a door tall enough for a Frost Giant to walk through without bending. Turning the crystal doorknob, she shoved it open and walked in, heading deeper into the room bathed in light. So much light it streamed out into the hallway, causing Loki to squint when he followed her.

At the threshold, he paused to take the sight in.

The room was quite large. Contained both a bedroom and seating area, dressers and mirrors all wooden and antique in nature. Windows curved the length of one entire wall. Another space which was a touch too pink for his liking, but he could tell it had been Lauren’s childhood bedroom.

Wandering inside, he shut the door at his back and cast his gaze around the space, admiring the white fur rug before the fireplace, the soft couch with its saggy cushions and colourful blankets, the posters of people he couldn’t recognize nor cared to learn about. There were two doors, both closed, which he imagined led to washroom and closet.

White mouldings surrounded the walls, walls which, at one time had been painted a baby soft pink and were now faded from the sun. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling above the bed, and his eyes landed on Lauren who’d gone over backwards into the middle of the mass of eclectic bedding and pillows.

It was sweet, he supposed, very much in keeping for what he’d seen of his Lauren in this space.

Walking across the room, he flicked his wrist, dropping their luggage next to the door, and settled down beside her on the bed. “Lauren?”

A smile flirted with her lips before she giggled. “Oh man. Did you see George’s face? I thought he was gonna wet himself!”

Humming softly, amusement in the sound, Loki nodded. “Personally, I enjoyed the pinched look on your youngest sister’s face when you threatened to _snatch her bald_. You are far feistier than they have given you credit for.”

She laughed harder, wrapping her arms around herself. “And when you introduced yourself!” Lauren giggled uncontrollably. “Marabeth was fit to be tied!”

He chuckled softly and reclined beside her, resting on his elbow to watch her laugh. “And I am not a terrible flirt.”

She rolled to face him with bright eyes. “You are _such_ a terrible flirt! So over the top. _Besmirch our love_? Take me to your bed? Deny me Valhalla?”

His grin widened. “Yet you did not protest,” he said, leaning closer while tracing his hand up her ribs.

“I was havin’ too much fun,” she murmured, her gaze dropping to his lips.

“So was I. This whole escapade appeals to my nature.” Gaze falling to her lips, he leaned down and kissed her, lightly brushing his mouth over hers. “I dislike your family. They are cruel to you. They disrespect you.”

Softly, Lauren asked, “Is that why you said we were engaged?”

It was one of two reasons. The first being he had no desire to be parted from her, and the shock it had given her family was invigorating. The second was the odd, calculating look her mother had exchanged with George. Something was going on there, and the instincts which had served him all his life had shrieked in warning. It was a warning he would heed.

“You must admit, the result was rather pleasing.”

She lifted her hand to look at the ring. “Is this… your staff?”

“No, darling. I made that special for you.”

Nodding slowly, Lauren looked away.

“What’s wrong, my sweet?” 

Gently, he took her face in his hand, turning her eyes back to his. She kept her lids lowered shadowing them. What colour had come to her face with her laughter was suddenly gone. Her heart was beating hard in her throat, and her hands twisted together, fingers playing with her ring.

“Lauren?”

“What are we going to do?” Her eyes drifted up to his. “It was supposed to be a charade. A relationship to get my mama off my case. Now… now we’re engaged… and this isn’t supposed to be real… but it feels… you make me feel…” Her eyes filled with tears, and they sparkled like diamonds on her lashes.

“Lauren, don’t do that, my love.”

“Please, don’t call me that.” She wrenched her face from his hand and sat up, scooting off the bed.

He went with her and grabbed her hand. He tugged her back around to face him, finding the tears had broken loose and were falling freely. “No, no, my Valkyrie. No tears.” He cupped her cheeks, holding her there, wiping the waterfalls of sorrow from her face.

Her hands came up and wrapped tightly around his wrists. She looked up, her eyes locking with his as she whispered, “Loki? Are you playing with me?”

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Fluff, Smut, NSFW

 

* * *

Stunned, Loki found himself caught in her eyes, jade now with confusion and pain. With a sigh, he brought his forehead to hers. “Lauren, no. Never. I should have told you from the first.”

“Told me… what?” she whispered.

“I want this. I want… you. I have for some time.” His heart hurt at finally speaking the words which beat so hard within it. “This was never a charade for me. I may have… influenced you into choosing me, but only because I couldn’t bear the idea of it being someone else.”

A soft sob escaped her lips. “Really?”

“Really… my love.”

The cry she released was one full of hope and disbelief. Then, her lips were on his, moulding, tugging, nipping with her teeth, setting him growling.

When she finally disengaged from his mouth, he hummed quietly, “Is that a yes, my sweet?”

“To which? Being together or being engaged?” she quipped, her hands caressed down his arms, and fell to slide around his waist.

“One leads to the other, does it not?”

She gasped and pulled back to stare at him. “But I… we… you… _huh_?”

He chuckled as he drew her mouth back to his, kissing her smartly. “Let's start with being together. Though, I'm not certain I like the title you granted me. I am not a _boy_ , and I wish to be so much more than just your _friend_ , darling.”

She smiled, laughing a bit at his logic. “What would you prefer? What do they call it on Asgard?”

“Hm, I would prefer… _lover_ ,” he purred against her lips making her gasp, the sound breathy and aroused. “But on Asgard, you would be _elskan mín._ It loosely translates as darling or love. To others, I would introduce you as _Ástvinur,_ my beloved.”

“Am I?” she asked, eyes heavy-lidded and face flushed.

His smile softened. “You are. I have loved you,” he shook his head, “for so long.” More tears fell over his fingers, but he did not think they were from sadness. Not with how her eyes had darkened into sparkling green emeralds.

“Why didn't you ever say… _anythin'_?”

She was killing him with these questions. He was a trickster. Honesty was not something he did easily. But for her, he could give nothing less. She was his love, his heart. Being anything but honest with her would be dishonourable.

“Because, you're the darling of the team, and I am the dark one. Who in their right mind would allow me to make even a tentative overture? But I have watched you and learned of your heart, your compassion, your goodness. It was impossible not to fall for you.”

“Oh, Loki.” Her eyes closed, wet lashes splaying over her cheeks. “I've always admired you. It was,” she sighed before looking up at him, “so brave of you to come back and make an effort. You faced so much ridicule in the beginnin’, so much distrust it hurt to watch. There were so many nights I just wanted to reach out, pull you close, tell you how strong I thought you were. How brave. I should have. I should have just reached out. And through all of it, you just stayed poised, like nothin’ hurt, but I could see how much it did. You made me love you because of that. Even when they all wanted to paint you a villain, you stayed a good man.”

“Lauren…” he breathed, stunned by her openness. “I had no idea.”

“My feelin's for you have been hidden for a very long time. I'm accustomed to hidin’ my true self,” she said, looking away.

“No more. No more hiding, _elskan mín_. They do not deserve you.” Her so-called _family_ had hurt his Lauren for the very last time. “From now on, you will be as the Valkyrie I named you. Strong, powerful, and full of mischief. You will be mine, and as mine, you will never bow to anyone’s will but your own.” He smiled a wicked, suggestive grin. “And perhaps mine from time to time.”

“Oh? And how would you have me bow to your will?”

Brow arching, Loki peered down at her upturned face, eyes still damp but full of a playful sort of seduction. Curiosity glowed with a deep-seated need, a want so strong it burned in her beautiful green gaze. Brushing her cheek, the skin soft, he caressed her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. “Regarding your safety, I would always seek obedience. I would be devastated if anything happened to you.”

Her hands slid up his ribs, over his chest and into his hair. It felt as good as the previous time she’d done it. Loki hummed a soft sound, nearly a moan.

“And otherwise?” she asked, her fingers sliding pleasingly over his scalp.

 _Cheeky minx._ She was the one playing now.

He wiped the last vestiges of tears from her face and closed a hand at the back of her neck. The other dropped to her waist, drawing her flush against him. Her lips parted on a soft exhale. His gaze took in the beauty of her face, lingering on her lips before slowly returning upward.

“I would have you obey me... in bed,” he murmured, nipping her bottom lip, licking it with a leisurely pass of his tongue.

“Loki,” she sighed, body melting into his.

He kissed her jaw, the enticing line which so attracted him. “Tell me, my love, how many times were you with _him_? How many times did he fail you? How many times did he leave you wanting?” Trailing his lips to her pulse, he sucked gently.

“Oh…” she moaned, pleasure in the sound.

“How many times, my Lauren?” He tilted her head, tracing his tongue down to the hollow of her throat.

Her skin was warm, beautifully soft and creamy. She smelled of her perfume, but she tasted like sugar. Like the most perfectly created confection.

“Eight… eight times,” she whimpered, her hands tightening in his hair.

He growled, the sound low and angry. “Fiend. Did you enjoy yourself at all, darling?”

She whimpered again. “It was… alright.”

“That would be a no, then.” It was unthinkable. To take pleasure and not give it back? _How dare he!?_   I will repay the debt.”

“What?”

“The debt, my love. His debt.”

“I don’t… understand,” she sighed while he kissed a trail down the swell of her breast.

Tugging free the tie at the back of her neck, he released the fabric covering her. It pooled around her waist, catching on his hand, baring her to his eyes, and showing him the lovely sheer lace of her nude bra. It followed the line of her halter top and lifted her breasts like an offering.

“Such fascinating undergarments you Midgardians wear.”

“Loki… please!” Her cry was both aroused and a little frightened, giving him pause.

“Lauren,” he brushed his nose across her soft skin. “If you wish for me to stop, you need only say so.”

“No!” she yelped. “No, no. I just… it’s so... fast.”

He smiled and nipped her breast. “My darling, I’m not going to take you today. When I do make you mine, it will be only after I have repaid the debt created by your former,” and he used the term loosely, “lover.”

“What’s that mean?” she moaned when his tongue traced the lace edge of her bra.

“I plan to make you come, my sweet. As many times as he failed, I will not. You will see Valhalla eight times before I take you to bed.”

She gasped when he took her nipple in his mouth, fabric and all. “Oh… god,” Lauren cried, head falling back, her hands tugging his hair.

His smile turned a touch wicked. “Does that feel good? Does it please you, my Lauren?”

She nodded vigorously. “You… you don’t… you don’t have to,” she finally managed to groan out.

Pulling the cup down, he lipped and nibbled her nipple, sucked it into his mouth, and released it with a wet pop. “Yes, I do. I will cleanse your time with him from your memory. Make it cease to exist. I will show you what it should be like when a _man_ pleases his woman.” And then he would show her the difference between a man and a _God._

“Loki.” Her hands threaded through his hair. “I already know you can do that, peaches. You and that magic tongue of yours. I feel more when you kiss me than I ever did with George.”

He chuckled against her skin. “Magic tongue. I will show you just how _magic_ it can be.”

When no further protests were forthcoming, Loki traced his fingers down the side of Lauren’s throat, splaying them out as he caressed his way down her chest, and cupped her other breast. He weighed the mound of flesh, the perfect size to fit in his palm. Firm, pert, and warm. Perfect.

She had beautiful breasts. The lace confection she wore simply enhanced what nature had given her. Beneath the nude undergarment, her stomach and ribs were sleek and toned. The muscle he could see and feel kept her healthy and fit. It was magnificent. She arched when he ran his palm over her, moving like water, smooth and flowing as she bent back over his arm. Between her breasts was a small clasp holding the lacy garment together.

He gave it a flick with his finger, and it sprang open. The twin mounds bounced slightly with their freedom. He walked his fingers up the valley between them, admiring the creamy orbs.

Round, the size of oranges, soft but firm, they were topped by pale pink areolas and slightly darker nipples. Enticing little berries he wanted to get his lips on. Gliding his fingertips over the inner edge of her breast, up across the crest. He took his time approaching her pert bud before finally running his thumb across it.

She gasped and moaned. Her knees shook, and she sagged against him. His magic swept out, and Loki sat back and down on a newly created high backed narrow chair bringing Lauren into his lap. She straddled his thighs as he drew her in, breathing a breath of cool air across her skin. Her nipples pebbled, and she cried his name.

Chuckling wickedly, he lapped at it, licked and suckled the bead. He was rock hard beneath her, more aroused than he had ever been in the past when it came to foreplay. He squeezed her breast, pulled and tweaked her opposite nipple. Loki sucked and nipped the one his lips were attached to, loving on her until both were swollen, red and hard.

He skimmed his hand down to her buttock and rocked her hips into his cock. The feeling was exquisite. Heat poured from her core. Scorched him. Burned him. It made him ache.

Popping off her breast, he peered up at her flushed and panting features. “This is what loving feels like, _elskan mín_. What pleasure feels like.” He jerked her hips into his.

She cried out, “Oh, oh please... Loki!”

“Does it burn, my beautiful one? Can you feel it grow in your belly?” She tugged his hair, and Loki groaned, his cock swelling with her action.

“Yes! Fuck!” She rocked into his hips.

“I'm going to make you come so hard, darling. So hard, and all from playing with your beautiful breasts and rubbing on my cock. Will you do that for me, my sweet? Be a good girl and come for me?”

Lauren gasped when he dropped his head and bit at her breast. A sharp nip followed by a slowly stroking tongue. Both of his hands fell to her hips and were soon dragging her core up and down his length.

Arms linking around his neck, she drew him closer, forcing his head up so she could pant and moan into his mouth. Kiss and lick and suck at his tongue.

He could feel the diamond hard points of her nipples drag over the cotton of his shirt as she clutched at him. Feel the heat of her core on his length. Feel her heart beat against his chest. Frantic. Pulsing. Rabbiting as her body rose higher, got closer to exactly what he’d claimed.

She was reaching for the gates of Valhalla.

“Breathe, darling,” he whispered against her cheek.

She gasped, and a high pitched sound was dragged from her throat, arching her back as she bowed away from him. “I… Loki…. _Please_!”

A sharp grind of her hips made him growl. “That’s right, my Valkyrie. Ride.” He jerked her higher, thrust up against her, took her nipple between his teeth and bit down. He’d never been so aroused and still clothed before.

“Oh, my god…” Lauren gasped, “Oh, my…. _stars_!” she shrieked.

Loki lifted his head and watched as Lauren’s world exploded. She flushed red, all up her chest and throat. Her lips parted, she breathed out a moan which shivered heat down his spine, and she trembled all over. Ten sharp spots of pain were digging into his shoulders, her nails at some point having clenched into his muscle.

He cared not.

She was gorgeous in her abandonment, and she smelled like heaven. He could only imagine how wet she was. How it would soak right through her undergarments. How hot and slick she would be. He wanted nothing more than to throw her on the bed and have his way with her, but he would not. Not yet.

“That’s one, _elskan mín,_ ” he breathed against her throat as her trembling subsided into small aftershocks.

She collapsed against him, precisely the same way she had on the aircraft. Body boneless, warm and sweet, and he worked his lips over her jaw in tender little kisses.

“That was… _wow_ ,” Lauren whispered. “I never… I mean, I have, but not like that… not so…” She blushed and turned her face into his throat.

It set him chuckling while he ignored the insistent demands of his cock. It would be staying corralled for a while yet and would have to deal. 

Stroking his hands up her back, tracing circles in her bared skin, Loki asked, “Not once in all your encounters with _him_ , did you feel pleasure?” He could feel the heat off her skin when she blushed against his throat.

“It was nice, I guess. He never hurt me, at least, but it was always quick like he was in a hurry. And they were few and far between. Sure he was away at school, but when he came home, it was like he had to. Like it was an obligation. It's easy, now, to look back and see why that was but at the time... I was young and foolishly in love.” She shook her head. “I slept with him all of eight times in a year. What twenty-five-year-old male does that?”

“A man who could look at any woman other than you is a mewling quim of a man,” he muttered, setting her giggling.

“I thought Bucky was going to talk to you about that particular insult?”

“He did, but we are in private, and it is fitting.”

Lauren pulled back enough to see his face. “George was right about one thing.”

“How can that man be correct about anything? He is a deviant miscreant of a cretin who is no better than dirt on the bottom of your boot,” he scoffed.

She lightly traced her fingers over his lower lip. “You really are quite fancy. At least you talk fancy.”

He drew her in tighter. “Would you prefer it if I said things like _knee-baby_ and _bless my heart_?”

Her fabulous breasts rubbed against him when she burst out laughing. “Oh, peaches! I didn’t know you had it in you. That’s quite the accent!”

He rumbled out a sound of pleasure. “Darling,” he crooned, watching her through lowered lids. “I think it best we re-dress you before I strip you completely and show you Valhalla a second time.” She blushed beautifully, but when she scrambled to get off his lap, he held her still. “I wish one thing first.”

Her brow arched in a manner closely resembling his own. “Oh? And what would his highness request of me?”

“You really are a cheeky Valkyrie.”

She grinned smugly. It had the arousal which had cooled coursing through Loki's veins a second time. Shaking his head to clear it, he gently worked his fingers along her spine. “I wish to see your piercing.” Her shirt had pooled at her waist and hidden it from view.

“And just _how_ do you know about that?”

Leaning her back against his arm, Loki bent and kissed her directly over her heart. “The day I watched you do the _yoga_ , it caught the light when your shirt lifted.”

Humming softly, Lauren placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed. He let her up, admiring her in her dishevelment. Her beautiful breasts hung free until she trapped them again behind her pretty undergarments, while the mint green top fell down her hips, pooling on the floor around her sandals.

“Halls of Valhalla…” he breathed reverently. “Look how beautiful you are.” His gaze walked the curves of his woman.

Her breasts swelled against the lace cups. Her ribs and waist curved. Her belly was toned and flat, tiny defined muscles rippling beneath her skin. White pants spanned her hips, and she stood before him with more confidence than Loki had ever seen on her before. She twisted slightly, allowing the light from the floor to ceiling windows to glint on the tiny green jewel within the silver setting in her belly button.

“You humans have such… interesting customs.” He reached out and touched a fingertip to it. “Does it hold special meaning to you, the jewelry?”

“N-no… it was pretty. I did it just after I moved to New York. Rebel… stage…” She gasped when he traced a circle around it, shivering beneath his touch.

It made him smile coyly. Stroking his fingers over Lauren's skin, he hooked one in the waistband of her pants, spread his knees, and drew her back between them. With a palm to her abdomen and the other across her lower back, he held her there, placing a tender kiss beside the tiny jewel. 

“May I?” he breathed against her skin and gazed up at her.

A high flush turned her cheeks pink while her teeth were set in her lower lip. Her hands had come to rest on his shoulders, and Loki rested his chin on her stomach. “S-sure?”

Consent without complete understanding. A trickster’s favourite kind. But this was no trick, only a gift. Again he let his magic rise up inside him, fill his mouth, and sealed his lips over her belly button. His power was cool on his tongue when he swept it slowly over her.

Her gasp became a moan, and her hands closed in his hair. She writhed, arching into his touch, her voice strained when she cried out, “Merciful _God_!”

He chuckled a deep sound full of wicked mischief and slowly pulled his mouth away. “I can be… for those who please me.”

Panting great heaving gasps, Lauren asked with a teasing voice, “Do _I_ please you?”

The fact she continued to play these games with him pleased him greatly. “Indeed,” he whispered, tracing the design he’d left on her with his fingertip. “Hopefully my gift pleases you.”

Around her belly button twisted the forms of two snakes, highly detailed and wrought in gold. They curled around the little dimple while the small gem of her piercing had been replaced with a jewel which matched the one in the ring winking at him from her left hand, now cast in an antique gold setting. Brushing his fingers over the intricate design, he could just feel the raised pattern against her soft flesh.

“Did you… _tattoo me in gold_?”

“Hm,” he nodded. “Lovely isn’t it?”

“Loki!” she barked and jerked away. “You can’t just _mark_ people without askin’!”

Her hands were on her hips, the elegant length of her fingers splayed out, framing the mark. It was stunning, gleaming against her creamy skin.

“But, it looks so fetching on you, darling.”

“I don’t care! You can’t just… _do_ these things! What if I didn’t want it?”

He blinked up at her, shocked and dismayed. She didn’t like his gift. Pain ripped through his heart. “Very well. Come here, and I will remove it.” He beckoned her toward him.

“No!” she exclaimed, covering the mark with both hands.

His brow arched, incredulous. “You have me at a loss, Lauren. You do not like my gift, but you do not want it removed either?”

She sighed, stepped forward, and cupped his face in her hands. “I like your gift. It’s you, peaches. Don’t think I don’t know just what those twisted serpents represent. I may be blonde, but I’m not stupid.”

“Then what is the problem?” he asked, pleased she recognized the symbol most associated with him.

“You did it without askin’, hun. Branded me like I’m property. Put a mark on me which I’m sure loudly proclaims me as yours in some strange Asgardian way.” 

He had the grace to at least look sheepish. “You… may be correct in that assumption.” Still, he couldn’t help but brush his fingers over the mark. “But you don’t want me to take it back?”

“No. It may have been a shock initially, but it’s pretty. I think I’ll keep it. It was a gift after all. Just, use a few of those fancy words of yours before you do somethin’ like this again, okay?”

“Of course, my sweet.”

She smiled down at him, healing the hole she’d unwittingly punched in his heart.

“Asgardian customs are different from those of Midgard, certainly. For instance, as _elskan mín_ , I should have presented you with this with my declaration.” Green light sparkled around his right fist, raised in the air between them. He opened it slightly, allowing the pendant to fall where it could swing beneath his hand.

“Oh!” Lauren gasped, then laughed. “You do that so easily, the magic.” She reached for the pendant.

The beaten square of gold had the same entwined snakes worked into the front within a border of runes. “Protective magic for _elskan mín_ , forged in the flames of Valhalla, and blessed by Var and Frigga.”

As soon as she touched it, it disappeared from his hand to reappear around her throat. Her hand flew to it, pressed against it, and made him smile. It would be warm against her skin. The weight would grow to be a comfort she would feel empty without, and as their relationship grew and strengthened, so would the chain around her throat.

One day it would thicken into a torque only he would be able to remove. On that day, he would know for certain she was his forever. He was already hers. He would not have presented her with the _brúð steinn_ otherwise. The Bride Stone was sacred and not given lightly.

Getting to his feet, he stood to tower over her, gently touching the pendant laying now against her skin. “It suits you.”

“It’s beautiful.” Her fingers traced the edge. “Is this gonna be a regular thing? Random bits of jewelry just… _appearin’_ when I least expect it?”

He shrugged. “It is a strong probability.”

“Hm,” she hummed, the playful light returning to her eyes. “Just as long as you don’t go hog wild. I’m not one who needs all these fancies.”

“Well, this one,” he dragged his fingers over her stomach, “is for my eyes only.”

“As long as we’re swimmin’ alone,” she teased, her finger tracing a path down his chest. “It ain’t like a bikini covers that much skin.”

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he jerked her up against him, making her gasp in excitement. “You are far more mischievous than I would have given you credit for. Don’t you know better than to tease a God?”

“I will remember that when next I meet one,” she quipped, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“Feeling rather full of yourself, my love?”

“You just seem to bring it out of me. There’s an imp sittin’ on my shoulder whisperin’. Encouragin’ me toward mischief. I blame you.” Her smile was sultry and wide, smug even.

The challenge in her eyes set him chuckling softly. “Do you know what it does to me, this side of you?” She surprised and delighted him continually, turning him on something fierce. 

“I can guess,” she purred, pressing her lips to his. She bit his bottom lip before sucking it in her mouth.

He squeezed her hips with a quiet groan. “Wicked Valkyrie. If you do not wish to spend the next few hours locked in this room with me, you will put your clothes back on.”

“You’re the one who took them off in the first place,” she reminded him.

“Are you asking me to take off the rest?”

She bit her lip, a seductive little worry of teeth. Pink coloured her cheeks, and she looked down and away. “I…” The wild thrumming of her heart in her throat told him more than her words could.

“Get dressed, _elskan mín_. Then you can show me your home.” He kissed her cheek and pulled away, walking over to where the windows became exterior doors. Turning the handles, he stepped through, heading for the railing which ran the upper level.

He needed a moment away from her to clear the scent of her essence from his head before he simply locked down the room and forgot anyone else existed outside of himself and Lauren.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Smut and fluff, swearing, Loki being Loki, NSFW

 

* * *

Standing before the mirror in the bathroom, Lauren lifted her shirt and traced her fingers over the golden image now ingrained on her flesh. It caused her to shake a little, trembled all over with how swiftly everything had changed. She’d gone from a farce of a relationship with the God of Mischief to a deeply intense one with Loki in a heartbeat of time. It was everything she’d thought she’d never have, but she wasn’t quite sure what to do about it now that it had happened.

He was an intense individual. To suddenly become the focus of his piercing gaze was both thrilling and a bit terrifying.

Dropping her shirt, Lauren clenched her fingers into fists and set them on the grey granite countertop.

He did things to her on a whole new level.

The feelings she’d once held in her heart for George seemed like dust in the wind compared to the inferno which burned for the blue-eyed god.

The pendant he’d placed on her swung, caught the light, and thumped back against her chest when she stood from her bent position. He’d called it protective magic. Clearly, it to was more than it seemed, but he’d failed to tell her what that more was.

Touching it gently, she noticed it felt warm. Whether from her body heat or something else, magic maybe, she couldn’t say. It was heavy where it rested above her heart, but it didn’t pull at her neck like the diamond necklace had her mama forced her to wear for her engagement party to George. It matched the gaud awful solitaire he’d given her. Unlike the cushion cut gem in the antique gold setting of the ring which currently graced her hand, George’s choice had been cold even as it sparkled with fire.

She’d hated that ring. Perhaps she should have paid closer attention to her reaction to it from the first. Maybe she would have realized George wasn’t for her long before they’d gotten to the church. But, her parents and his had been pushing so hard for the wedding, and she’d genuinely thought herself in love with George.

He’d wooed her like a master, said all the right things, _did_ all the right things, for so many years. How could she have been so stupidly blind? How could she have just dumbly followed along with everyone else’s plans?

These were all the same thoughts she’d had when she’d taken his horrible ring and used it to start a new life for herself in New York. It wasn’t an heirloom, and she was by no means giving it back. Not after what he’d done.

Alone and on her own for the first time, Lauren had quite literally lucked out, falling into the position of Tony’s assistant. She’d had no formal training, other than running errands and things for her mother, taking charge of charities and foundations and such.

The Iron Man had been on the phone, yelling as Tony was want to do, standing in the middle of Saks Fifth Avenue - a store she couldn’t possibly afford anymore, but she still enjoyed looking.  He’d been harping on about a gift for Pepper, asking someone named Nat what the hell he should get when Nat had been of no help. He’d snarled and hung up, and though at the time she had no idea who he was, Lauren had taken pity on the man who seemed so lost and offered her assistance.

She’d asked questions about Pepper’s likes and hobbies, her job and favourite colour, and had quickly narrowed Tony’s choices down to two different handbags, a Hermes scarf, and a Cartier bracelet. The man had bought all of it, setting Lauren gaping at the cost.

When he’d offered to take her for lunch as thanks for her assistance, Lauren had politely declined, not trusting a man she’d just met - who clearly had buckets of money - not to take advantage. She’d merely offered a kindness. There was no need to repay something freely given.

Before she could leave though, he’d asked how she’d known just what to get. Laughing, Lauren had quipped that no one was harder to manage than her mama. If she could survive running for that woman, she could do anything.

Three days later when she was still jobless, living in a tiny apartment, and the knock had come at the door, she’d opened it to find the same man standing on her threshold with a stunning strawberry blonde who’d quickly offered her a job as Tony’s personal assistant. There was no way Pepper believed Tony had picked out her gifts and demanded to know who'd helped.

Apparently, Lauren had wrangled the Iron Man a bit too well and wound up in her current position. Not that she didn’t love it, just, at times, it could be highly demanding. Still, she wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. She loved all the people, the whole team.

Taking a deep breath, Lauren smoothed down her shirt, touched the pendant at her throat, and left the washroom. She’d needed the respite after her intense experience with Loki. A respite and a change of underwear.

The man had magic… well, everything. She’d never had an orgasm that powerful before. With George, she’d never had one at all, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t tried a little… _self_ -stimulation over the years. Her very first one had been her first night in New York when the stress of moving, leaving it all behind and disobeying her parents had become too much.

At twenty-two, she had finally experienced what the fuss was about. How depressing was that?

Still, the fact Loki could kiss her and set her insides on fire was a little startling. She hadn’t known the way passion and love were described in cheesy romance novels could actually be real.

At the open door, Lauren paused to take him in.

He stood against the second-floor railing, looking out over the rolling hills and fields of the farm. Dark hair curled a little tighter than usual around his face thanks to the humidity. His eyes were the piercing blue of a summer sky. He was all sharp features and sinfully sculpted lips, and just ridiculously handsome.

Who in their right mind made a man that gorgeous?

And sweet, thorny Jesus, by the look of his arms and the breadth of his back and shoulders, she just knew the man was packing some serious muscle. She wondered if it came about from wielding a sword, or staff maybe.

He wasn’t built like Steve or Bucky. He was sleeker, like a panther. He even moved like one, all silent grace. She’d never seen him fight, but with how he’d used the dagger against George, it was wholly evident he could.

“You are staring, my sweet.”

She startled, blushed at getting caught, and walked out to join him. “Just admirnin’ the view.”

His hand found hers and tugged, bringing her right up against him, and fingertips traced her cheek, making her blush burn brighter.

“You blush so easily. It’s beautiful. Tell me what you admired.”

It wasn’t a question but a command, one she was inclined to disobey. “And inflate your ego some more? I don’t think so.”

“Ah, so it _was_ me you were staring at. How fascinating.” He gave her a sly smile.

“You, sir, are gettin’ too big for your britches.” She shook her head, making her tail of hair swing as she leaned in and kissed him, a quick peck to the lips.

“I do not know what that means. Are you implying that I am thickening around the middle like your brother-in-law? I assure you that isn’t the case.” 

He sounded almost offended, and it made Lauren snicker. “Are you a body snob, Loki?”

“A what?”

She slid her hand up his chest and trailed her fingers along his throat. “If I was as big around as old man Jefferson’s prize winnin’ hog, would you still think I was beautiful?”

He blinked at her, narrowed his eyes, and he lowered his head. “This is a trick question I refuse to answer. Whatever I say will see me in trouble.”

She laughed softly, her smile big and wide. “Maybe it would have, but I still think you’re a body snob.” She winked at him and turned away, her hand clasped with his to tug him along. “Come on. I’ll show you the farm. You seemed interested in the horses last night when we talked.”

“I am not a snob,” he pouted. “I despise sloth. Your body is a temple which should be well cared for. Is that thinking so wrong?”

“Not all of us are born with the metabolism of a God, Loki.”

“It’s not about metabolism. It is about will and perseverance.” He took her hand and liked it back within the confines of his elbow. “When I was a child, Thor was the bigger of us. He excelled where I often had to work very hard. We differed only when it came to magic. There was my excellence while combat was his, but Asgardians are warriors. I wished to be as well.  So, I determined to be better. Stronger. Faster. I was jealous of my brother for whom it all came so easily.” He sighed and looked away. “My will was very strong, too strong. It led me down a dark path.”

“Loki…” She was stunned at his revelation. Drawing him to a stop, Lauren reached up and touched his cheek. Eyes full of shadowed regrets watched her from behind shuttered lids. “I’m sorry, peaches. I didn’t mean to draw up old hurts with my teasin’.”

He gave a one-shoulder shrug. “Thor and I have settled our differences. We are brothers, blood or no, but… I have done some terrible things. Unforgivable things.”

She pressed her fingers to his lips. “Everyone deserves a second chance, _elskan mín._ You’re makin’ what you can right. Don’t let the demons of your past darken the brightness of your future.”

“Lauren.” He breathed her name like a prayer causing her blush to grow again.

Pressing up on her toes, she kissed him on the cheek. “You’re a good man.”

“Say it again.” His arm wrapped her waist and was unyielding. “Say it again, my love.”

She peered up at him, not quite understanding until his eyes drifted down to her pendant. “ _Elskan mín_ ,” she murmured.

He swung her around, her back connecting with the solid wood of one of the columns before he ravaged her mouth. Moaning, Lauren clawed at his back and slung a leg around his hip when he settled against her. The hard, insistent length of his cock was pressed firmly to her core, and she ground herself against him.

He moaned, and the peppermint patty flavour of it washed into her mouth. His hand closed around her tail of hair and pulled her head back in a deep arch. Teeth scraped down the cords of her neck.

Lauren cried out quietly at the pleasure of such a touch.

“I never thought, never _dreamed_ I’d find you, let alone have you be so perfect, _elskan mín.”_ He rocked into her.

A moan, low and wanton, escaped Lauren's lips. She clutched at him, her body on fire. Hot bolts of desire shot through her from his hips and mouth working in tandem. The rolling of his hips was slow, thorough, dragging over her with unrelenting insistence.

“Loki, _please_!” she whimpered. “Anyone could see…”

“Never!” he hissed, catching her hands and stretching them up over her head. Pinning her there, he traced his lips over her cheek. He kissed her nose, her lips, her chin before he rested his forehead on hers.

“I could take you right here, and no one would see that I did not wish to. Illusion is mine to wield as I choose. I could close us off from this world with a thought. I could bend you over the railing, my sweet, naked as the day you were born, make you sing out your pleasure at the top of your lungs as I repeatedly thrust into you, and no one would be the wiser.”

She shuddered with the visual it gave her, could almost see it reflected in his eyes. “Oh my…”

“You would like that, wouldn’t you, my wicked Valkyrie?” Mischief fired in his gaze, burning her, challenging her.

The imp on her shoulder fairly cackled with excitement. “Perhaps. But I have so little to compare my experience too. Are you certain you could make me sing?”

“You sang for me only minutes ago. Or have you forgotten already… _Lauren_?”

She smiled a cheeky grin. “I have a simply _horrid_ memory… _Loki_.”

He chuckled. “Is this how you’ve managed to stay Tony’s assistant so long? Do you sass him as well?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Indeed I would.” He kissed her hard and let her go.

“And it’s not sassin’ if you do it right.”

“Oh? Do tell, darling. How does one sass correctly?”

“With sweetness, a smile, and a flutter of lashes,” she teased, demonstrating the move on him. “Why, Loki. I do declare, if you don’t get that sweet tush movin’, we’ll be ever so late for luncheon. You ain’t never gonna see the ponies if you keep draggin’ your feet.”

“You think I have a sweet tush?” He smirked wickedly at her.

“That tush is sexy as hell. Why do you think all us women walk behind you, peaches?” she quipped, sashaying away down the balcony.

“Freya’s bountiful tits, woman! You’re going to be the death of me.”

She burst out laughing and liked her hand through his elbow when he appeared at her side. “See? Sass done right.”

He bent at the waist with a courtly flourish. “I bow to the queen on this matter. My Valkyrie has sass down to an art-form. Perhaps you should use it on your family.”

“My mama is immune to my sass. It’s like her superpower. I swear she can smell it. Then it’s all, “Lauren Guillemin, don’t you sass your mama.””

“You need to be slightly more nasal in your mimicry,” he said, stroking his fingers over hers on his arm.

She chuckled softly. “Maybe.”

“Hm.” Loki hummed and assisted her down the stairs to the first floor, then down a second short flight into the grass. “Do all women of the South have such… enormous hair?”

She belted out another peal of laughter. “Some, certainly,” she managed to say once she’d regained control. “It isn’t uncommon.”

“I prefer yours.”

“Mine’s out of self-preservation. It curls somethin’ fierce in this humidity. Tyin' it back keeps me sane.” 

As they walked, she pointed out different points of interest on the plantation. The hedge maze at the back of the house with its walled rose garden. The pool and pool house. She took him around the gardens rather than through them so they could walk the lane the towering oaks lined, helping cut some of the heat with their shade.

The packed earth crunched slightly beneath their feet, and a horse whinnied in the distance. She paused with him at the top of the lane to look out over white fences, red barns, and dark wooden outbuildings. The vivid green of the land was dotted here and there with the colourful coats of many sleek horses, while a few spindly legged colts grazed at their mother’s sides.

Lauren smiled when she leaned into Loki, resting her head on his shoulder.  “I forget how beautiful it is until I come home again. It’s like seein’ it all for the first time every time I come back.”

“It really is quite lovely,” he said, but when she looked up at him, he was looking at her.

Her blush came back with a vengeance. “You keep bein’ that sweet, I’m never gonna need sugar ever again.”

He only smiled his patented Loki smirk.

Shaking her head, Lauren continued down the road, heading for the biggest of three barns. In one of the high fenced paddocks, a tall, deep red chestnut stallion bugled a challenge and charged the fence where an elderly, weathered man stood with his hands on his hips.

“You ornery ol’ cuss! Don’tcha be giv’n me that now, ya hear!” he snapped, slapping his cap against the wooden railing before jamming it back on his head.

Squealing in delight, Lauren pulled away from Loki to dart forward. “Teddy!”

He whipped around and grinned a wide smile which was missing several teeth. “Well, Lord have mercy! It’s Miss Lauren! C’mon, child. You give ol’ Teddy some sugar!” He held out his arms.

Lauren threw herself into them, placing a smacking kiss against his wrinkled cheek. “I missed you somethin’ fierce, Teddy!” She hugged him tight and pulled back to giggle at his twinkling dark eyes. “Did you get the gift I sent for your birthday?”

“I certainly did, lil’ miss! Though what I’m gonna do with them there fancy boots, I dun know.” He shook his head, grinning cheekily.

“You wear them, silly man! I know you’re sweet on Miss Abigail Swain. You take them shiny boots, and you deck yourself out in your finest, and you ask that woman to the town’s Fourth dance. That’s what you do with them boots!” she scolded him soundly.

“I just might do that, missy, I just might.” His eyes drifted past her shoulder. “And who be this ‘un?”

Lauren held out her hand for Loki. “Teddy, I’d like for you to meet my beau, Loki Laufeyson. Loki, this is Teddy, my very best guy.”

He blushed and dropped his chin. “Aw, go on wichya! You tease an ol’ man.” He swept the hat from his head and held out his hand. “I’m ver’a pleased to meet ya. The missy here talks about you somethin’ fierce in her letters. All starry-eyed she is for the Mischief God. Didn’t realize you was sweet on her, too.”

“Teddy!” Lauren squealed, her face flaming red.

Loki grinned slyly at her as he shook the heavily calloused hand of Teddy. “You wrote of me, darling?”

“Oh, fer sure, fer sure.” Teddy nodded, grinning at her as well. “One could say… _gushed_.”

“Teddy so help me, if you don’t stop teasin’ I’m gonna replace all the hooch in your cabin with water!”

He gasped. “Ye wouldn’t! Why, that’s cruel of you, miss thing! Threatenin’ a man’s relaxin’ time.”

“I see my Valkyrie has always been inclined toward mischief. I will have to recruit you into my escapades when we return to New York.” Loki settled his hand on her back, but his eyes had drifted to the snorting horse glaring at them from behind the tall fence. “It seems you have a spirited one here.”

“Bah! That one’s a whole bucket o’ nasty. Ornery cuss. Inclined to bite and kick, but his daddy made this farm a heap of money at stud. Could run like the wind he could. This ‘un, too, has it in ‘im. Can’t get a rider on ‘im though. Mean as a snake, he is.”

“He’s not mean. Just a wild thing,” Lauren said, moving toward the fence. “Ain’t that right, Dragon?” Passing her hand through the rails, she held out her palm for him.

He trotted over, eyes bright and head held high to nudge her fingers. She caressed his velvet soft muzzle and smiled at the beautiful horse.

“Well, shoot. Here I’d dun gone and figured he’d be all hoyty-toyty wichya bein’ gone as long as you was. Damn horse turns me into a liar.” Huffing, Teddy slammed the beaten hat back on his balding head.

“Teddy’s the breedin' manager here for our thoroughbreds,” Lauren explained when Loki sidled closer. “He knows everythin' there is to know about our horses, but he and Dragon have never gotten on.”

“Fits his name, that one do,” Teddy groused. “Only one capable of handlin’ the cur was Miss Lauren.”

Dragon squealed and kicked out at the fence, pinning his ears at Loki.

“Oh, I do not think you wish to do that, my spirited friend,” Loki smirked an excited grin when the horse snapped his teeth together. “So, that is how it shall be.”

He was over the fence, and in the pen faster than Lauren could say ‘ _Bob’s your uncle_ ,’ startling Dragon into rushing away. She gasped in shock and not a little appreciation when, once his feet hit the earth, she realized he’d changed his clothes.

Gone where the linen pants and polo shirt, replaced by tight black breeks and knee-high boots of scuffed, well-worn leather. A tunic swung at Loki's hips, a broad belt of highly engraved leather surrounded his waist. He pushed back the sleeves of the dark green tunic, the ties of which crisscrossed at his throat, weaved loosely halfway down his chest, and hung just slightly open, giving her a glimpse of thick muscle which gleamed a soft bronze.

“Merciful Jesus…” Teddy breathed in amazement.

Lauren seconded the sentiment, but not because the magic amazed her. No. She’d darn near swallowed her tongue to hold in a whimper. If she’d thought his tush sexy before, it was nothing when compared with the sculpted thighs showcased in his skin-tight pants.

“Loki? What are you doin’?” she asked when she finally managed to get her voice to work.

“Making friends, darling.” 

His chuckle was deep and heady. It shot a small jolt straight to her womb, and she almost groaned.

God and steed eyed each other. One calm and relaxed, the other tightly wound. Dragon broke first when he bellowed in anger and charged.

Gasping, Lauren’s hand flew to her throat.

Green light flashed in Loki’s fist. Where once there was nothing, now hung a bridle. The leather a deep brown, the metal an aged bronze, the bit highly polished silver. The horse reared up and pawed at the air, but Loki stood immovable. When Dragon dropped to his feet, Lauren never even saw Loki move, but the bridle was suddenly on Dragon’s head, and the God was in a saddle of the same kind, high on the back of the shocked looking stallion.

“Now, will you behave?” Loki asked, causing the horse’s ears to twist back.

Dragon snorted, tucked his head, rounded his back and bucked.

Loki didn’t jerk or yank on the reins. He didn’t bang the bit against Dragon’s mouth. Just quietly sat out the tantrum like he was glued to the saddle.

It was so, so freaking hot, Lauren had to pant a little and grab for the rail so as not to collapse into a puddle. “Wow,” she whispered.

“Wow be right, missy,” Teddy said beside her, eyes big and round. “That man's got a seat on him.”

_He certainly does._ Lauren bit her lip so as not to blush. Teddy might have been talking Loki’s horseman skills, but she certainly wasn’t. The man had a seriously fine ass.

“That’s enough now. You’ve proved your point. You can be proud without being a brat about it.” The God of Mischief’s voice was implacable, and Dragon stopped, head down and blowing. Gently, Loki gathered the reins and sent the horse through his paces. It took less than a half dozen circuits of the paddock for Dragon to be answering rein and leg cues like an old pro.

A smugly satisfied smile graced Loki’s face when he swung from Dragon’s back. He patted the horse’s shoulder and neck and flicked his hand, vanishing the tack.

The stallion shook all over making him chuckle as he held out a bright red apple Dragon took without hesitation. The horse was munching happily, following Loki like a puppy when the Asgardian made his way back to the fence.

Clearing her throat, Lauren’s voice was a touch raspy when she asked, “Have fun?” But her brain stalled when she noticed the gleam on his throat and chest. Again she had to bite her cheek so as not to whimper. The exertion was just enough to make him sweat.

“It was most invigorating. He should behave better now, though, whether you get another rider on him will remain to be seen.”

Loki swung over the fence, and she held her breath. When he landed, still garbed in his riding gear, she grabbed him by the hand.

“See you later, Teddy.”

“Yah, y'all go on now.” Teddy chuckled, eyes alight with a knowing gleam when he turned them her way.

Lauren blushed but continued to drag Loki toward the barn, her feet clumsy in her haste.

“Lauren?”

She couldn’t speak, not yet, not if she didn’t want to climb him publicly. It had worked earlier, rather well, so she said simply, “Not yet.”

He fell into silence, and she hurried into the barn’s shadowed interior. This time of morning it was empty, just the way she wanted it. Turning right, she opened the door to the tack room, thrust Loki through it, and shut it firmly at her back.

His eyes were confused, a frown furrowing his brow. He stood, hip cocked and arms crossed over his chest, the overhead light causing the sweat on his skin to glisten.

“Fuck it!” she hissed and threw herself at him.

Lauren's arms went around his neck as her body slammed full force into Loki's. She thrust her hands into his hair while sealing their mouths together on a wanton moan. Licking his lips, she begged entrance, and delved deep when he granted her wish.

Twisting her tongue around his, she stroked it, coaxed it into following hers, sucking on it when it swept into her mouth. She’d shocked him into temporary stillness, but when his brain kicked back in, she found herself lifted up to straddle one of the flat racing saddles.

She tugged on his hair and moaned. Then, arching his throat back, she sucked on his Adam’s apple, his moan like music to her. She drew one hand down his throat to the ties of his tunic, jerked the lacing free, leaned forward, and licked a line straight up his sternum. Fire exploded on her taste buds.

“My God! Why do you always taste so good?” she groaned against him, flicking her tongue over his exposed skin.

He jerked her head up and took her mouth. Kissed, licked, and nipped her lips, driving her wild. His hands were everywhere. Caressing her back. Clutching her shoulders. Kneading her breasts. Stroking her thighs. When his fingers delved beneath the hem of her flowing green top and sank down the front of her pants, Lauren could only whine in surprised pleasure.

His lips left hers and skimmed back to her ear where he whispered, “You seem to be in need, my Valkyrie. Is Valhalla calling? Do you need to see it a second time?”

Rocking into the fingers sliding through her folds, Lauren begged, “Please, please, Loki!”

“What has you so aroused, my love? The taming of a wild creature?”

His finger skidded over her clit. “Ah! … clothes…” she managed to breathe out. “You look… so sexy…”

She felt herself being dragged forward, so she was barely perched on the saddle. Legs parted, dangling, unable to reach the ground, she was held there by the strength of his hands alone and gripped his shirt and the back of his neck. Lauren shivered. The delicious burn from before was growing in her belly again. When his finger began to circle, she tipped her head back and cried out.

“So, you like my garments enough to drag me into the closest room and have your way with me? I must remember that, darling.”

His laughter was dark, sensual. It skated across her skin like velvet. Unable to answer his teasing, she wrapped her legs at his waist, shifted her hands to the saddle tree behind her, and arched into his fingers.

The zipper tore as her fly came open from the sudden wrenching removal of Loki’s hand.

Gasping in disappointment, she looked down the arch of her torso, breasts thrust up, and found a hungry wolf staring back. The man before her had never looked more like a conquering war god then he did right this instant.

“Please,” she whispered, the ache inside her stronger than the last time.

“Would you seek to take what I offer freely?” His eyes appeared green with his change of attire, glowing with lust and warning. He wanted her to obey him, allow him to lead. It irritated him she’d tried to rush things. She could see it all so clearly in that piercing gaze.

Slowly, Lauren lowered her butt back to the saddle, and unlocked her legs from his hips. But when she tried to move her hands, bring them back around to touch him, she found them bound together at her back and looked at him curiously.

“Good girls get to touch, to taste. Naughty girls get their hands tied.”

Her nerves must have shown on her face for he leaned forward and kissed her softly. It was a lingering kiss, one that saw her relaxing into his mouth.

“There, my sweet. Nothing to fear. Only small games and great pleasure,” Loki murmured against her lips. “Now.” His fingers skimmed up her thigh. “Let me please you, _elskan mín._ ”

Then they were again delving within the confines of her underwear, stroking over her mound and curls, tracing her core with extreme care. It made her sigh and arch back, her throat straining to contain her cry of delight. Teeth closed over her pulse, sucked and licked. A fingertip pressed between her lips and circled her swollen jewel.

He scooted her forward again, keeping her dangling, fingers stroking, stroking, stroking. The burn in her belly was growing, and Lauren shuddered. 

“Please, oh, please! I’ll be good. I’ll be so good.”

“Such a pretty mouth,” he said, passing his lips over hers. “You are a treasure. Beg for me?”

“Please, Loki. Please let me come!”

“Oh, darling! How delectable. You will end me with how perfect you are. _Elskan mín,_ come for me.” His fingers slid inside her and thrust up only once.

Her core clenched and squeezed around his fingers, and Lauren moaned. Her mind went white as pleasure unimaginable rent her from her body into a state of total bliss. Ecstasy burned every nerve inside her, and all the while his gentle touch continued to pet and stroke.

When the throbbing orgasm finally slowed, she slumped over and leaned against Loki.

“That’s two, my sweet.”

His tone was smug, his smile content, but all Lauren could think was, " _How will I survive six more rounds?"_ And if he could do all this with only his hands, how would she ever survive actually sleeping with him?


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Fluff, Loki being Loki, a touch of violence

* * *

****Her limp form pleased him. When he drew his hand slowly from her drawers, Loki could have purred with pleasure at her wetness. She was gloriously damp, coated his fingers, and when they appeared, the scent nearly rolled his eyes back.

He lifted his fingers to his lips and swirled his tongue around her offering. _Exquisite_. Perhaps it was a bad idea to taste the essence of his Lauren. Now, all he would be able to think about would be drinking directly from the source. Tracing his clean fingers up her arm, he released her invisible bonds allowing them to swing forward. She gave a quiet sigh.

“Will you live, my love?” he asked, a chuckle catching in his throat.

Lauren's fingers curled around his belt. “Mmm,” was all she could seem to say.

He tipped her chin up and placed feather-light kisses on her lips. She was simply beautiful in her undoing; her skin flushed and soft. He would never tire of seeing her in the aftermath. 

“You will need me to fix your garments, darling. I’m afraid I quite ripped them.” There wasn’t an ounce of contrition in his tone.

“Hm, kay…” she hummed lazily.

Loki brought her down off the strange saddle and held her up when her legs wobbled. Once he was sure she could stand on her own, he lifted his hands to rest his fingertips against her throat. Drawing them slowly down, he let his magic flow.

She shivered slightly, the coolness harsh on her heated skin as he trailed his fingers down her throat, out over her shoulders, and down her torso.

When she gave a quiet sigh, he leaned in and pecked her a kiss. “There. I have always wanted to do that.”

Lauren looked down at herself and gasped. “Loki!”

He admired the dress, a modified version of an Asgardian one. Its wide neck rested on the tops of her shoulders, the scoop modest but enticing. It was a gold so pale it was nearly tan with stones of smoky quartz all along the neckline. The sleeves were short, coming only to her elbows, the fabric of them sheer while the dress itself fell to mid-thigh. It was quite boxy, a touch too shapeless for her. She had hips, nice ones, pleasantly rounded.

A flick of wrist brought to him a linked belt of beaten gold squares he fixed around her waist. “There. Perfect.” She looked relatively stunned which concerned him. “Lauren… do you… dislike it?”

Her eyes darted up from where they had been glued to her fingers trailing over the dress. They sparkled so brightly, her pleasure in the gift evident, Loki instantly relaxed.

“It’s wonderful!” she laughed, reaching up to cup his cheek. With a little pull, she encouraged him down, and he kissed her grinning mouth as she muttered softly, “You spoil me, sir.”

“It is my pleasure, my duty, and my honour to spoil _elskan mín._ ” He collected and kissed her fingers, admiring the way everything about her seemed to sparkle.

She was so happy. He always wanted to see such a look on her face.

“It’s truly amazin’, Loki. Is this real?” She traced her fingers over the belt.

“As in gold? Yes. Created out of magic, it is still the same as what comes out of the ground on this world.”

She tilted her head back and laughed. “Oh! Lunch should be a hoot then!”

“Why is that?” He, personally, was not looking forward to being stuck for any length of time with her family.

“Samuel, Marabeth’s husband, he could squeeze a quarter so tight, the eagle would scream!”

He only sighed, looking at her in mild exasperation.

“Oh! Right,” she blushed. “He’s rather cheap.”

“Ah! Well, let’s not keep everyone waiting.” With a second flick of his wrist, he returned his previous attire to Lauren’s sigh of regret. “I can bring it back anytime you wish, my sweet.”

Her smile turned wicked as she strutted from the tack room.

He’d changed her shoes as well, afraid for her ankles with how she seemed determined to _run_ places. Now the low heeled sandal which wrapped up her calf was much more conducive to such action should she be so inclined.

Collecting her hand to his elbow, he listened to her talk about the farm, the horses, the people who waved or jogged over to greet her. It was clear she was well received by the staff who worked her father’s ranch, something which spoke well of her character. The people liked her, looked to her for leadership, similar to how the people of Asgard looked to his brother.

Though Thor was, now, technically king, he was treated with a familiarity by the people Loki had always lacked. Lauren had the same way about her. The ability to be seen as one of _them_ instead of the daughter of the owner. 

He found it fascinating.

Arriving back at the hose, she’d chatted and hugged the house staff as well, blushing when she’d introduced him. One particularly large woman, her face reddened from years over the stove, hands chapped and hardened with work, had dragged him down into an embrace where she’d proceeded to thump him firmly in the back three times. Sue Ann was her name, cook for the house for as long as Lauren had been alive. Her eyes had sparkled with happiness upon seeing his Lauren again.

Her people clearly loved and missed her now that she was living permanently in New York. This, right here, was why she returned. Not for her family, but for her people.

He loved her all the more for that.

Even at a distance, she looked after them. Teddy and Sue Ann on the receiving end of her letters. But she never forgot a birthday or special occasion. She knew everyone's name, who their people were, and usually had a question about someone’s child or grandchild.

Loki followed along, his admiration growing with every new face. He’d teased her days ago about being a queen, now, he could see she already was.

She ruled here, even when away, a gracious and lovely queen.

Before they made it to the room where lunch was being served, Loki tugged Lauren to his chest and caged her against the wall. “You are quite amazing, _elskan min_. They all love you, nearly as much as I do.”

She blushed, flustered and pleased, her hands settling on his waist. “You flatter me, sir.”

“I only speak the truth, dear one.” He caressed her cheek, bringing his hand to rest beneath her ear. “You are well received by your people. They look at you with love and fondness. It is how the people view Thor. You claim the same respect he does. It’s beautiful. Inspiring. Your kindness is unending. I once envied such adoration.” Leaning down, he brushed his mouth over hers. “How desirable I find you,” he whispered.

She moaned quietly, her hands sliding up his back, and drawing him closer.

“Gentle, sweet, beautiful Lauren.” Skimming his lips along her cheek, he breathed against her ear, “The things I wish to do with you, darling.”

“What things?” she asked softly, drawing him against her.

A wicked chuckle escaped his lips. “Such _heavenly_ things, my Lauren.”

“Loki,” she moaned, lips chasing his.

Another rumble of laughter echoed in his chest as he leaned fully into her, teasing her lips with his. Nipping. Plucking. Playing. When a whimper of need fell from her lips, he sealed his to hers.

He was just getting into it, loving her mouth, searching the depths with his tongue, willing to moan and fill her with the flavour she said she desired when the presence of eyes on them brought him screaming back to their current - and public - location. 

Still, he broke the kiss slowly. “Is there something you require, Ms. Annandale?” he asked, turning annoyed blue eyes to Lauren’s sister.

Cissy’s face was flushed, a hand laying lightly against her upper chest while a gleam of desire filled her eyes. “Why, I’m _ever_ so sorry for… interruptin', but mama sent me to see what was keepin' y’all.” She batted her lashes.

Loki looked down at Lauren and rolled his eyes. “My appetite was not for food at present.”

Lauren blushed, her lips full and red from his kisses. “Neither was mine.”

A chuckle, wicked and dark escaped him as he slowly removed his body from hers. “Perhaps we can continue this for dessert,” he murmured, lifting her ring-bedecked hand to his mouth where he kissed her knuckles.

“I could do dessert,” Lauren sighed, her free hand drifting over his chest.

Cissy huffed and stamped her foot before walking away. “Anytime y'all are ready, _Lauren_.”

Lauren’s eyes danced with mischief, holding back her softly muffled laughter until Cissy disappeared through the door. “You’re so bad,” she said to Loki.

He winked. “I believe you prefer me that way, my Valkyrie.” Tucking her hand in his elbow, Loki guided her through the door after her sister.

Everyone was seated, leaving two chairs, separated by Cissy as she sat purposely in the middle, intent on breaking them apart. Sighing at her ineptitude, Loki waved a hand. She gave a startled squeak of surprise when he plunked Cissy down at the other end of the table, beside _George_ , who had evidently not learned his lesson. He had not run with his tail between his legs as Loki would have liked.

Leading Lauren forward, her teeth in her lip showing how hard she was fighting her laughter, Loki pulled out her chair, and seated her next to her father at the head; as far from George as possible and directly across from her mother.

Loki seated himself to Lauren's left and found himself across from Samuel with an empty seat to his left. Perfectly happy with the arrangements, he blinked slowly, smiled slyly, and turned his attention to Lauren’s mother. “You have a lovely home, Magnolia. You do not mind if I call you Magnolia do you?”

“Heavens, no, Loki.” She waved a hand. “Magnolia is… is just fine.”

There was still a look of apprehension about her, but Loki only shifted into Lauren’s chair. “You have quite the operation here as well, Hoyt.”

“Been in our family for generations,” he said proudly, puffing up his chest.

“You should have seen it, Daddy. Loki rode Dragon.” Lauren beamed up at him.

“What?” Hoyt sat up straighter.

Loki couldn’t help but smile back at Lauren. “Your Midgardian stock is spirited, but they have not the temperament of Asgardian steeds. Those would sooner kill you as look at you. It takes skill and fortitude to train our stock.”

“Really?” Hoyt tapped his fingers on the table. “They fast, these Asgardian steeds?”

“Like the wind, of course.” Oh, Loki knew what was coming next.

“Hm. Any chance of crossin' a few of our mares with one of your stallions?”

He was so tempted - so, so tempted - to make a remark about him _being_ the stallion to Lauren, his mare, but Loki restrained himself, especially when her shoe connected with his shin. “I’m afraid our steeds would view yours as inferior and tear them apart.”

Hoyt’s calculating look fell from his face into a frown. “Pity that. No chance of artificial insemination?”

“Hoyt! Not at the dinner table,” Magnolia scolded.

“And take their fun away?” Loki scoffed. “That would truly be cruel. Asgardians would never deprive a creature, of _any_ breed their pleasure.” He stroked his fingers over the top of Lauren’s knee beneath the table, drifting up her thigh and under the hem of her dress.

Her foot connected with his shin a second time, but he didn’t move his hand, only tightened his fingers.

Clearing her throat, Marabeth eyed the pendant around Lauren’s neck. “Your tastes certainly haven’t improved, Lauren.”

When Lauren's hand flew to her throat, Loki could have snarled.

“I beg your pardon?” he said coldly.

“It is a blatant waste of money such excessiveness. Why I’ve never seen so much gold on any one woman.” Samuel sniffed disdainfully.

“I would dress her in gold if Lauren would let me. Alas, she will not. However, you insult my promise, my bond to my _Ástvinur_ by disparaging my gift.” Running his fingers down the chain, Loki brought the pendant to his palm. “In Asgard…” He lifted his eyes to Lauren’s bright ones, then turned them slowly to Samuel’s, and smiled a full baring of teeth. “I would see your head on a pike for such disrespect.”

A sharp inhale ran the table.

Loki placed the pendant back against Lauren’s skin and gently passed his thumb over her lower lip, renewing the glossy shine he’d caused to disappear with his kisses and sat back. “But you are unaware of the insult implied, so I will forgive it… once.”

From down the table, a high pitched, aggravating giggle erupted. “Oh, Loki! You’re so funny!” Cissy squealed.

“You find the beheading of your brother-in-law amusing?” he asked, quite astounded.

She giggled a few more times. “Of course! Y’all don’t think he’s _serious_?”

He was deadly serious. “Asgardians take their vows and promises with complete seriousness. An _Ástvinur_ is the queen of her chosen’s heart. To disparage such a vow is no different than accusing one of cheating on her. It is simply not done. Ever.” Not when a _brúðr steinn_ was involved.

A chair away, George clenched his fist, his jaw tightening in anger.

Loki didn’t care.

The first course arrived before anyone else could speak, a soup of some kind. He ate the surprisingly tasty bisque with its kick of spice while silence hung uncomfortably around the table.

He sat within it as calm and unwavering as ever, knowing full well he was the one making it so. Another thing he cared not a whit about. 

Instead, his mind drifted to little bits of mischief he could accomplish instead. Small drifts of magic flicked out from him beneath the table. Nothing untoward and nothing which would occur in short order, but at some point today the heel of Marabeth’s shoe would break. Samuel’s pen would explode ink all over him. Cissy’s shoes would become slick as glass - though, he did stipulate they would _not_ do so at the top of a stairwell.

He wanted to embarrass not kill the woman.

Magnolia was going to have an unfortunate accident with a cup, spilling her drink down the front of her hideous dress. Hoyt was heading off to play a round of golf which he would be complete rubbish at. Golf was one of those things Clint did, so Loki, though not really understanding the draw, had a fair handle on the rules. Enough to set his curse with little room for error.

For George, Loki cast a curse which would see the man got exactly what he deserved. The cheating, lying bastard was going to find he’d developed some _extremely_ embarrassing problems in the bedroom. And they were going to last… awhile.

After the second course, a fish of some kind which did not suit him, nor did it appeared to please Lauren, Loki pushed back from the table and tilted his head to Magnolia. “Thank you for the pleasant lunch.” 

“You simply have to stay for dessert!” Cissy piped up, her attempts to draw him into conversation prior to this all failing.

Smirking down at Lauren, Loki held out his hand. “Lauren and I have plans for dessert.”

Cissy scoffed.

Lauren snickered as she took his fingers. “He means, I offered to show him the town. Plus I thought I’d visit Gran.”

“Senile old woman,” muttered Hoyt.

“Hoyt, she's still your mother,” Magnolia scolded.

“She sounds delightful,” Loki quipped, leading Lauren away.

“Why don't I come with y’all? It's been simply _ages_ since I last saw Gran,” Cissy stated, rising to her feet.

“Well bless your heart, Cissy. Considerin' you hate Gran?” Lauren snorted.

“Lauren Guillemin, that's no way to speak to your sister. And before you go anywhere, I insist you take a moment to speak with George _in private_. You owe him at least that after runnin’ off and pawnin’ his ring,” her mother said.

“Anythin' George has to say can be said in front of Loki. He is my fiancé and has the right to be present when another man wishes to address me.” 

Lauren’s sharp retort had pride welling up in him. “Darling, if this will see him out of your life, I will happily stand… across the room as you speak to him.” He gave her a wink and watched her eyes light up in understanding. It would be nothing for him to send an avatar across the room as she spoke with George while remaining invisible at her side.

She played her part well, biting her lip, glancing at him, away to George and back before sighing. “I guess a few minutes won't hurt none.”

She tucked her fingers in his elbow, and Loki let his Valkyrie lead him where she would. 

Lauren took him down another hall, away from the suddenly boisterous dining room - it seemed those left behind had finally found their voices - into a room he supposed could be called a music room what with the piano and other instruments scattered about.

“Do you play, Lauren?” he asked, continuing to ignore the man who followed them angrily.

“Not me, peaches, but Marabeth and mama can. Cissy can play the harp.” She rolled her eyes, clearly unimpressed. “I was always more inclined to the horses, but I can carry a tune well enough.”

“As I have heard you _sing_ , my love, I don't doubt it,” he chuckled wickedly.

She swatted him one in the arm. “Do go on, sir! Such a cad!” A pretty pink blush filled her face, the one he liked so much.

“Someday you will have to sing me a song, my pretty nightingale, so I might hear your lovely voice.”

“Lauren!” George snapped.

She startled, an action Loki disliked intensely. “Watch how you speak to her, Bilgesnipe, or I will drop you through a portal to a world so inhospitable your eyes will bleed as your flesh melts from your bones.” He glared at George until the man backed off, and leaned down to place a kiss to Lauren’s brow, switching himself out for his avatar. Before the false him left, Loki snarled, “Hands to yourself if you wish to keep them.” He could practically smell George's anger roll from him in waves.

Loki's avatar walked away and stood with his back to them as the false him appeared to gaze out the window. He didn't move more than to glide behind Lauren, wrap his arms slowly around her waist, plastering his body to her back. She relaxed into him, appearing to draw her fingers over the golden belt at her waist, but really stroked them over his arm.

He licked her ear, and she shivered, digging her nails into his flesh in warning.

_Oh, this could be fun…._

“Well? If you've got somethin’ to say, George Montgomery, you'd best be gettin’ on with it,” Lauren demanded.

Loki blew a gentle stream of air over Lauren’s throat. Her nails bit a little deeper.

“Lauren, sweetheart, can't we mend fences? I made a little mistake. You keep carryin’ on like this and people are gonna think you're bein’ uppity.”

“Carryin’ on?” she gasped. “You act like we had a fallin’ out. A misunderstandin'. Y’all _ran off_ on our weddin’ day! Left me high and dry at the church, George! That ain't no _little_ mistake.”

Loki kissed the top of her shoulder and gently dragged his teeth along her skin. She shifted, stepping purposefully on his foot.

“Be rational, Lauren! I wasn't ready to get married. Neither were you! But I am now. I miss you. I love you. I want you to be my wife. Can't we try again, darlin’?”

He froze at George's declaration, and Loki tightened his arms. His mind snarled _mine_ like the possessive God he was.

She gaped at George. “You're off your rocker! Gone right 'round the bend if you think I want you back, let alone would take you back.”

“Hon, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelin's, but back then it wasn't like you were anythin’ to look at or nothin'. But now? Damn, girl! You grew up.”

She slapped him so fast, rocking him back on his heels, Loki almost missed it. “You no good, dirty rotten, _bastard!_ Your apology don't amount to a hill of beans!”

“You're makin’ a mistake, Lauren Guillemin! You were promised to me, and I intend to have you!” George snatched for her arm.

Loki’s hand wrapped around his wrist. “What did I say about _touching?”_ he snarled in a deadly cold voice. The bones ground together then gave a sharp _crunch_ when they broke beneath the power of his grip.

George screamed.

Releasing the man, Loki pulled Lauren away, already bringing her reddened palm to his cool lips, soothing the pain she was likely in after her well-placed slap while pounding feet raced toward the room.

“George!” cried Magnolia, rushing forward.

“What, what happened?” blustered Hoyt, Samuel, Marabeth, and Cissy piling in behind him.

“That crazy son’ bitch broke my arm!” George bellowed.

“How could you!” Magnolia accused, glaring at Loki while she coddled George.

More irritating noise rose in screeches and yelling to hurt his ears. Huffing in aggravation, Loki waved his hand, cutting off the sound at the source. Namely, everyone's voice. “You all seem to be under the impression I am as you are. I _am not Midgardian_!” he roared causing them all to cower.

Lauren turned into him, her hands coming to rest on his chest. “Loki, please!” she begged, her eyes filling with worry.

He touched her cheek, reassuring her he would not do anything to her family. “I am of Asgard,” he said calmly. “Lauren is my _Ástvinur._ George was warned to keep his hands to himself. I am a _God_. When I speak, you will _listen_!” he hissed.

“Loki, _elskan mín,”_ Lauren crooned, her nails gently scraping down his chest. “I'm just fine, peaches.”

He drew her in by the waist. “No one lays their hand on you, dear one. Not without quick and lasting consequences.”

“I know, sugar, but they don't. They ain't used to your ways. Make an exception, just this once? For me?” Her eyes pleaded with him.

Taking her chin in his hand, he kissed her lightly. “For you, beloved.” He flicked his wrist. The snap of George’s arm fixing itself was audible.

Again the man screamed but no sound came as Loki had not yet released their vocal cords. When he was certain the man was finished, he raked his gaze across the lot of them. “Lauren and I will be leaving now. George has had his answer. It was a resounding _no_ as the handprint upon his face can attest to. Ladies. Gentleman.” Loki's eyes drifted to George. “Bilgesnipe.” Flicking his wrist, he opened a portal. “Just so there is no… _misunderstanding_ , Montgomery, the world I promised awaits.”

They all stared in horror, all but Lauren who simply continued to look at him. Waving his hand a second time, Loki shifted the portal to the town and walked through it with Lauren, releasing her families voices an instant before the doorway closed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: not quite smut but a little smexy, Loki being Loki

* * *

“Was that, perhaps, excessive?” he asked, glancing down at Lauren.

She gave a soft sigh. “Maybe, but… would I be a horrible person if I said I rather enjoyed it?”

He chuckled softly, drawing her in by the waist. “We shall simply be horrible together, for I, too, rather enjoyed myself. Both the breaking and the repair.”

Lauren shook her head, smirking a little for she could see the merriment twinkling in his eyes. “I can tell.” Taking him by the hand, she glanced around to orient herself. “Huh, well that was convenient.” He’d landed them not far from Main Street. “You’re portals, are they like Dr. Strange’s?” she asked, leading him toward the town square.

Loki scoffed and shook his head. “All that circling.” He waved his hand absently. “What you Midgardians are tapping into is only a fraction of what is available. Perhaps in a millennium or two, you will catch up. For now, I leave you to your _Mystic Arts_ and sling rings.”

She let it go, not wanting to debate something with him she knew little about. Dr. Strange had randomly appeared in Tony’s office on a few occasions, but usually, he used the door.

Instead, she tugged Loki toward the square where the red, white, and blue banners were being strung. “Oh, it’s gonna be so pretty when they’re done!” she smiled.

“It reminds me of feast days in Asgard.”

Lauren looked up to find him smiling a little grin. “Do you miss it?”

“Asgard? Yes, sometimes, but I am… content here.” His grin turned a tad wicked. “It is so easy to make mischief on your world. So many things to cause to go wrong.”

She shook her head. “I thought you were reformed?”

“From doing evil, but mischief is fun… for the one making it.”

“So bad,” she snickered.

“I believe you like me that way, darling,” he laughed.

She tugged on his hand and headed down the street. People had a tendency to stare, but she didn’t really think it was her they were looking at.

Loki drew eyes everywhere he went. His handsome face and stature, the presence he exuded as he walked, it had people instantly paying attention. But his eyes never strayed far from her, something Lauren was finding both thrilling and endearing. He may sweep his gaze out and around, assess those who approached them or who stood across the street, but they always returned to her.

Here, she finally saw what she’d only read about in reports. They’d talked about the _War God_ Loki, but she’d only ever seen the man he was in private. In public, though he looked no different than any other man on the street - perhaps he was better dressed than most - one could see the innate core of strength, of danger, which resided within his powerful frame.

Everyone who could, possibly, pose a threat was assessed, weighed, measured, and dismissed. Loki moved with a confidence that bespoke his place in the world. People may not know who he was, but they certainly knew he wasn't someone to mess with.

Walking with him, Lauren felt far more important than ever before. She was _someone_ at his side, someone special enough that this clearly powerful male was dancing attendance on her. Then, the faces turned to shock when they recognized her.

Lauren bit her lip to keep from laughing as she pulled open the door to a shop and walked inside. A colourful array of high-end women’s clothing spread out before her. Pants and dresses, suits, hats and accessories filled the space and lined the walls. 

From the back of the shop, a voice called out, “Y’all have a gander! I’ll be right out.”

Smirking up at the confused look on Loki’s face, Lauren led him deeper into the store.

When the woman who’d spoken appeared from the back room Lauren called out, “I came in looking for somethin’ classy, didn’t realize they were lettin’ trashy run the joint.”

Slamming her hands to her hips, the brunette with the wild mane of curls and flashing hazel eyes sneered, “It takes trashy to know trashy, Lauren Annandale!”

Loki stiffened immediately. Lauren only laughed. Squealing excitedly, she dashed forward to throw her arms around Sadie. “Lordy, girl! I’ve missed you so!”

“Right back at you, Lulu!” Sadie squeezed just as tight. “Let me look at you!”

Lauren stepped back and blushed when Sadie’s face showed her appreciation.

“Lord have mercy, just _look_ at you. I bet your sisters just dun gone and had themselves a conniption when they saw you. Cissy would be green with envy and Marabeth would be fit to be tied. She’s gettin’ to be as bad a Samuel with the penny-pinchin'.”

“Oh, do go on, Sadie!” Lauren scolded, flustered by the praise.

“You’ve just got to tell me what store in New York City you found this ensemble in.”

She shook her head with a wry smile. “I’m afraid it’s an original creation.”

“Really?” Sadie gasped. “By what designer, hun? It’s marvellous.”

Lauren freed her hand and turned, holding it out for Loki. “By him. Sadie Brockett, meet Loki Laufeyson. Sadie is my very best friend, practically since we were knee-high to a grasshopper.”

Sadie’s eyes grew round as she held out her hand. “Well shut my mouth. Lauren! He’s the God of Mischief!”

Loki chuckled and lifted her hand, holding it between his eyes sparkling with amusement. “I am indeed. It is a pleasure to meet someone my darling Lauren calls a friend.” 

“I take it you’ve already met Lulu’s family?”

“Yes,” he nearly growled.

“Loki,” Lauren sighed when he released Sadie’s hand to place his arm around her waist.

“I love you, darling, but your family is horrid,” he stated without a hint of remorse.

Sadie’s eyes again grew large. “Lauren Guillemin! Have you been keepin’ secrets from your best friend?”

Lauren bit her lip. “Well…” she blushed, glancing at Loki.

“Damn it, girl! How could you?” Sadie slammed her hands back on her hips.

“Lauren was simply acquiescing to my wishes,” Loki soothed. “For her safety, it was best not known she was my _Ástvinur_ until steps were taken.” Picking up her left hand, Loki brought it to his mouth where he ran his lips along her knuckles, making sure the stone in her ring glinted. The wicked, dancing light in his eyes showed he knew exactly what he was doing.

A high pitched squeal spilled from Sadie’s lips as she yanked Lauren’s hand away from Loki. “You’re marrin’ the god of Mischief? Oh, hun! I’m so happy for you!” She dragged Lauren back for another hug. “After all the natterin’ your mama and sisters have been doin’ about _Montgomery_ , I wasn’t sure you’d even be comin’ home for the Fourth, but I’m so, so happy you did!”

“I take it mama’s been in here talkin’?” Lauren sighed, leaning on her friend.

Sadie snorted. “Every damn day.”

“And you _couldn’t_ talk her outta buying that hideous pink dress?”

“You know how she is when she gets a bee in her bonnet about somethin’. There was just no changin’ that woman’s mind.”

“I take it you dislike Montgomery, Miss Brockett?” Loki interjected.

“That man is about as useful as tits on a boar,” she scoffed, “and if you’re marryin’ Lulu, getting her away from _George_ , you’re more than welcome to call me Sadie.”

“I would very much like to know where the name Lulu comes from,” Loki asked with a wicked grin.

“Gran,” the girls said together.

“Ah, the illustrious Gran I keep hearing about. I look forward to meeting her.”

“She’ll be pleased as punch to meet you, what with the way Lauren goes on in her letters,” Sadie smirked at Lauren.

“Oh for… ugh!” Lauren slapped a hand to her face. “Y’all are just not gonna let that go!”

Talking her hand, Loki drew her back to his chest, his fingers ghosting over the heat which bloomed to life in her cheeks. “I find it endearing, darling. Your adoration is charming.”

“And a lovely stroke to your ego, I have no doubt,” she sighed, leaning into his hand.

A second sappy sigh erupted, this one from Sadie who looked on with a goofy grin. “Y’all are just too freakin’ cute!”

Loki’s lips pressed to her hair as Lauren blushed even brighter.

“You’re comin’ to the party, right?” Lauren asked, trying desperately to cool the heat in her face.

“Wouldn’t miss it now I know you’re home, Lulu.”

When the door opened at her back, she felt Loki stiffen, his entire demeanour changing to one of high alert before relaxing again. Turning to look, she smiled a little tightly to find Mary Ann Dalton and her daughter Georgia coming through the door.

“Oh man,” Sadie muttered before plastering on a fake smile. “Afternoon, ladies! Y’all need help with anythin’ today?”

“Why, Lauren Annandale that is you! I hardly recognized you with all that city finery,” Mary Ann said, striding quickly through the shop, completely ignoring Sadie.

“Miss Mary Ann, Georgia. A pleasure to see you again,” she said. Her discomfort must have been clear to him because Loki immediately tightened the hold he had on her waist.

“And who is this young man?” Mary Ann asked, her smile sharp and eyes assessing.

“Loki would be Lauren’s fiancé,” Sadie replied before Lauren could, her best friend’s face nearly gleeful.

_Oh crap…_ There were no bigger gossips than the Dalton mother and daughter. By the end of the day, everyone in town would know Lauren had come home with a new man. “Ha, yes. Loki Laufeyson, my fiancé.”

“Well shut my mouth!” Georgia gasped, “He’s an Avenger, mama!”

“Indeed I am, ladies,” he said, his smile tight. “Will you excuse me, darling? I should really check in with the Tower.” He bussed her a kiss to the cheek before walking toward the front of the store.

Georgia had her by the wrist before he’d made the door. “Lauren Guillemin! You know the Avengers?”

“Georgia you need to get your ears checked. I’ve been sayin’ for years Lauren works with Tony Stark.” Sadie rolled her eyes at Georgia’s apparent lack of understanding.

“Sadie Brockett, you mind your manners,” Mary Ann huffed.

“Well, it’s the truth, Miss Mary Ann. Lauren’s worked for Stark for four years! You’d think that would settle in for people at some point in all this time.”

Sadie and the Dalton’s had never gotten on well. Her friend and Georgia had gone a round over Sadie’s boyfriend back in high school when Georgia decided Marcus was a better fit for her than for Sadie. Marcus had been flattered, but he’d stayed true to Sadie rejecting Georgia, who proceeded to start a nasty rumour about the two of them hooking up just to get back at Marcus and Sadie.

Sadie hadn’t believed it for a second, but had still ended up in a screaming match with Georgia, one which had ended when Marcus had intervened, calling Georgia a liar straight to her face and in front of a good majority of the student body.

If Sadie didn’t own the finest clothing store in town, Lauren doubted the Dalton’s would even grace the shop with their presence, but no one knew clothes like Sadie. As she was now married to Marcus, it didn’t matter a whit what Georgia had said.

Lauren detached herself from Georgia only to have her arm captured and linked through the pale brunette’s.

“You simply _must_ come to tea with us,” Georgia demanded. “I’m _dying_ to hear all about New York!”

“I’m afraid we already have plans, but thank you for the offer, Georgia.” Lauren extracted herself again.

“Oh dear, well that is too bad,” Mary Ann simpered. “I was so hopin’ we could catch up. I’m just shocked you’ve come home with a beau, what with the way your mama’s been goin’ on about George Montgomery and all.”

She felt the rush of cold air and glanced up to see Loki walking toward them. “Loki, hun? Everythin' alright?” There shouldn’t have been _cold_ air coming from the doorway, so she knew it had to be coming off her Frost Giant.

He didn’t have the strut Bucky did, not that murder strut which made one think he was coming to kill them. No, Loki glided like a panther on the prowl. His shoulders were relaxed, his stride long but leisurely, eating up the ground. Eyes of blue were intense and focused, locked on his target who just so happened to be her. When he reached her, his hand immediately sought her waist, drawing her into him in a clear act of possession.

“Sergeant Barnes would like to speak with you, my sweet.” His eyes were hard and a little worried as he held out his phone.

“Alright,” she murmured taking it. “Sadie? You mind if I?” Lauren motioned to the back room.

“Go on, girl. You know your way around.” Sadie shooed her off.

Lauren glanced at Loki to make sure he would be fine. He tilted his head and proceeded to turn on the charm. Rolling her eyes, Lauren made her way around the counter, keeping the snickers soft as he waxed poetic about her _delightful_ town and how the Dalton’s must be so pleased to live in such a _quaint_ community. 

When she made it to the back room, Lauren gently closed the door and lifted the phone to her ear. “I haven’t even been gone a full day. You miss me already?”

“Dollface…” Bucky took a breath during which she could hear the grind of teeth as he tried to control whatever outburst was coming next. “What… _the fuck is going on down there_?!” he bellowed loud enough to have her pulling the phone from her ear.

“Damn it, Bucky. Stop _yellin_ ’!”

“No, I will not stop _yelling_! What the hell, Gilli! You went down with a pretend boyfriend you’re now _marrying_? What the fuck!”

She could picture the way he would be aggravatingly thrusting his hand through his hair. “Bucky…” she sighed, plunking herself down on Sadie’s wobbly stool. “Everythin’… everythin’ changed.” The softness of her tone must have given him pause for silence settled over the line for a few seconds before he sighed.

“He told you?”

“James Barnes, you knew, and you didn’t tell me!”

“Damn it, woman! Now, who’s yelling? And I only found out yesterday. But that doesn’t mean you should be running off and getting fucking engaged! What the hell, Gilli!” Something crunched in the background followed swiftly by muttered cussing.

“What you break?”

“Nothing,” he grumbled, which clearly meant something. “Answer the damn question, doll.”

“Buck…” she sighed, rubbing at her forehead and temples. “My mother invited George. He was waitin’ for me when I got here. Things… escalated quickly.” Quietly she explained everything which had happened with her family and George, leaving out the private bits between herself and Loki as she didn’t think that was something Bucky needed to know. “He did fix George’s arm when I asked him to.”

More silence hung on the line until a muffled snort preceded a rough bark of laughter. “And you thought I was gonna give your mama a heart attack!”

“Goodbye, James,” she huffed, hanging up on his loud guffawing. She sighed and shot a glare at the corner of Sadie’s stock room. “I know you’re there, peaches.”

He stepped from the shadows like a wraith. “So, I am not about to be drawn and quartered by the former Winter Soldier?”

Smirking a little, Lauren shook her head. “He seemed downright amused by the whole thing.” Holding out her hand, she let him tug her to her feet where she ended up back in his arms. “Back to eavesdroppin’?”

He only shrugged, unrepentant, and put his phone back in his pocket. “I noticed you left out all the fun bits in your recitation, darling. Have I not been making them memorable enough?” His wicked grin spread across his lips as he drew his fingers down her thigh, bunching the hem of her dress up to skim her flesh.

“You’re plenty memorable, _elskan mín,_ but would you speak of our private business with Thor?” she asked, brow arched.

“I see you’re point, love.” Humming softly, he tucked his nose against her throat while his large hand skimmed up the back of her thigh. “Does that door happen to lock, my sweet?”

“It never used to,” she sighed, stretching her neck.

“Pity.” His teeth closed over her pulse.

Lauren whimpered softly. “How are you managin’ to split your focus like this?” Wasn’t he running an avatar in the other room, carrying on an entire conversation?

“Practice and discipline,” he sighed, stroking his hand down her thigh to catch her knee. He drew it up around his waist and pressed her back onto the table Sadie used for unpacking boxes.

“Loki, hun, this table’s not all that _strong_ ,” she groaned when he settled between her thighs.

He jerked her other leg up as her bottom connected with the table top. “I can fix that.” His mouth closed over hers.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she no longer cared about tables or Daltons or even Sadie for that matter. All she knew was the sensual heat of his stroking hands, sliding their way up her bare thighs, dragging her dress higher while he kissed her breathless.

Right up until the door swung open.

“Lauren, Loki seems to have disappeared… never mind,” Sadie snickered, hand going to her mouth. There was a gleeful light dancing in her eyes. “Y’all should know that table’s not that solid.”

“Hm. It would seem I lost my focus,” Loki said, sliding his hands down with a regret-filled sigh, bringing the hem of her dress with him. “So I was informed. It should stand up to much more _vigorous_ activities now.”

Blushing at his wicked grin, Lauren smacked him gently on the chest. “Scoundrel, constantly gettin’ me in trouble.”

He pulled her from the table with a swift jerk, whispering in her ear, “You enjoyed it, my Valkyrie, don’t deny it.”

Flushing a brighter shade of pink, Lauren bit her lip. Her fingers wrapped the side of his neck as she whispered back, “Valhalla _was_ callin' my name, my Loki.” When she drew back, she smiled even as she blushed harder for his eyes had lit with an inner fire she was beginning to know very well.

“Do not tempt me, dear one.” His hand drifted down her back to lazily cup her ass.

“Loki!” she squealed. “Behave, _sir_.”

“Or don’t. I’m fine either way,” Sadie snickered, leaning in the doorway. “The Dalton’s left, so I’m good to simply stand here and watch.”

“Don’t you go encouragin’ him! He’s known as the God of Mischief for a reason. He doesn’t need no help in that department.” Lauren waved Sadie out of the way with a huff.

Giggling like mad, Sadie followed, her smile spreading. “You want to try on your dress?”

Lauren glanced at the two of them over her shoulder. They bore nearly identical grins. It was highly disconcerting. “If you’ve got the time.”

Sadie waved a hand in dismissal and headed back the way they’d come.

“Dress?” Loki asked, his face showing interest.

“For the party. Mama’s parties are always formal. Super fancy. Sadie’s mama, back when she ran this place, used to special order the finery for us. Now, Sadie does. A couple of times I’ve gotten her help with Tony’s parties when I just hadn’t a clue what to wear.”

“She’s great with regular fashion and can run that man’s life like a drill sergeant, but when it comes to high fashion she’s a hopeless mess,” Sadie said, smiling to offset the criticism when she returned with the garment bag. “In you go, Lulu.” She motioned to the curtained dressing room.

Turning a sharp eye on Loki, Lauren said firmly, “Stay.”

“Of course, darling,” he grinned.

“All of it off, Lu,” Sadie called as Lauren closed the curtain.

“Excuse me?” Lauren squeaked.

“She makes that sound quite often,” Loki commented, causing Sadie to laugh.

“Yes, she does! Right down to the knickers, hun,” Sadie called.

“What the hell are you puttin’ me in?” Lauren muttered, more to herself than Sadie, and unzipped the garment bag. 

All she could see was what looked like miles of white. Unclipping her golden belt, Lauren placed its heavy weight on a small shelf. Drawing her current dress off her shoulders, she let it fall, only just realizing the bra she’d been wearing earlier in the day had also been changed into a strapless one when Loki had changed her clothing. Shaking her head at his attention to detail, she undid it, allowing it to join her dress, before stepping out of everything and gathering her discarded clothing to the side. The dress was much too lovely to leave lying on the floor. Pushing the garment bag the rest of the way off the hanger, Lauren gasped quietly at the softness of the fabric. It felt like cashmere but was much thinner.

She found the zipper in the side and pulled it down, took the dress from the hanger and stepped in, drawing it carefully up her body until she could slip her arm through the holes. “Oh… Sadie!” Lauren gasped, turning to the full-length mirror as she tugged up the zipper.

Sadie’s curly head poked through the curtain, ran an assessing eye over her, and frowned. “No, take the skivvies off as well.”

“What?” she hissed, glaring at her friend.

“What?” Sadie asked. “What’s the big deal? It ain’t like he’s never seen you without before. Lordy, girl. With the way y'all were carryin’ on in my stockroom, you could’a burned the place down! Woo! I’ve half a mind to call my husband for my own midday rendezvous.”

“Sadie!” Lauren gasped.

“Just do it, Lu!” she barked, jerking the curtain back in place.

“I hate you!”

“You love me!”

“No, I don’t,” Lauren pouted, turning to see her backside in the mirror.

“Lauren Guillemin! If you don’t drop them drawers, I _will_ send your beau in to take them off for you!”

“I’m _more_ than willing to assist, darling,” Loki crooned.

“Stay!” she barked, glaring at the curtain.

“But I do so love to be of assistance.”

Lauren rolled her eyes and ignored him as she drew up the long skirt of the dress and shucked her underwear. The fabric had been thin enough to show the outline of lace where it clung to her behind so she could understand Sadie’s insistence, but did she _have_ to do so in front of Loki?

Sighing softly, she turned back to the mirror, gave herself another hard look, and smiled. “Alright, I still love you,” she called out to Sadie, pulling back the curtain.

***

The banter between Lauren and Sadie had been most amusing and highly entertaining, something Loki was happy to witness. Here, finally, was someone who cared for his precious one deeply, nearly as much as he did himself.

Small of stature, but tottering on incredibly tall heels, he was forced to wonder if this, too, was a _normal_ thing for women of the south, though Sadie did not seem overly inclined to _run_ places on hers. Her riot of curls appeared to be untameable, but she didn’t look to mind. Another fit female, she had ample hips on a curvy frame, and moved with a similar grace to Lauren, making him wonder if she, too, did the _yoga_.

Turning his attention back to the curtain, Loki felt his jaw unhinge when Lauren stepped beyond it in a body-hugging white sheath of a dress. Arms bare, the neckline followed the curve of her breasts, dipping just slightly, skimming down her sleek frame in a most pleasing fashion.

“Let’s see the back,” Sadie demanded.

Her cheeks were pink as Lauren turned, showing him how the wide straps fell down into a deep, low cut back, which draped slightly just above the curve of her backside. With how the fabric hugged every curve, he could see why Sadie had demanded the removal of her undergarments.

“Loki?”

He snapped out of the fantasy he was having about drawing the silky fabric up her thighs to discover her bare beneath only to find her chewing her lip with concern in her eyes. “ _Elskan mín,”_ he breathed reverence into his voice. “Stunning,” he purred, moving closer to take her in. “You shall outshine the moon in this.” Drawing his fingertips over her shoulder, he stopped where he could see the open back. “There is only one thing missing.”

“What?” she asked, her voice breathy and cheeks rosy.

“This.” Placing a fingertip on either shoulder, he drew his hands together until they touched, then slowly traced them down her spine. When he was finished, a small gold chain linked the shoulders of the gown together, while the tails fell down in glittering tendrils to tickle her spine. “There, it’s perfect, as are you, my Lauren.”

“Oh, wow…” Sadie whimpered, fanning her face. “If I weren’t married, I’d so fight you for him.”

He shook his head, smiled at Lauren, and cupped her cheek. “There is only one _Ástvinur_ , and she is mine.” He bent and kissed her glossy lips. 

Sadie sighed softly, her tone one of awe. 

Loki ever so discretely ran his palm over Lauren’s backside. The fabric was quite thin and already warm from her skin. “You are _beautiful_ , darling. I cannot wait to dance with you in this exquisite dress.” Turning her, so she was pressed against his chest, he swayed gently back and forth with her. Against her ear, he couldn’t help but whisper, “I cannot wait to peel you out of it.”

Lauren quivered all over, her heart pounding against his. “Loki,” she moaned quietly, melting against him.

“When is this party again?”

“Two days.”

“Excellent.” That gave him just enough time to complete his promise to her.

A blush burned high in Sadie’s cheeks, as the woman cleared her throat and fanned her face. “Yes, the Annandale’s throw their party the evenin’ of the third as the town does the dance and celebration, fireworks and things the fourth. It’s become a tradition.”

“It’s stuffy and borin’, but I’m sure you’ll keep me entertained, peaches,” Lauren smiled as she drew back.

“We’ll see, darling. Perhaps a little _mischief_ will be in the offing?”

She snickered, pressed up on her toes, and kissed him firmly on the mouth. “I’m sure we’ll find somethin’ for you to have fun with.”

If not, he knew there would be _someone_ to have fun with when the party ended. “I look forward to it, my sweet. Yes, very much so.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Fluff, swearing

* * *

The walk to her Gran’s saw them moving in companionable silence as Loki’s mind was filled with the vision of Lauren in her dress. Technically it was filled with images of him peeling her out of said dress, but he wasn’t one for splitting hairs. It had been so soft under his fingers, her skin warming it through and him in return. The idea of her bare beneath would stay with him for days until he could ascertain for himself just what clever confection of satin or silk Sadie would put her in to keep those pesky panty lines at bay.

It wasn’t until she led him down a narrow dirt road out of town that he snapped out of his musings. “Darling, just where does your Gran’s home reside?”

She smiled up at him and linked their fingers. “Down this way. She’s a bit eccentric, but she ain’t crazy like Daddy said. She’s… well, you’ll see.”

“She’s quite special to you.” Here again, she had nerves blooming, but where meeting her family had created nerves of fear, these were nerves of excitement. Clearly, his meeting her Gran was far more important to her than meeting her parents had been.

“Gran was my safe place, my savin’ grace. She gave me a place to come when home got to be too much.” Lauren slowed to a gait no quicker than a lazy amble. “Growin' up here was… difficult. Marabeth was the golden girl. Straight A student, Captain of the cheer squad, homecomin’ queen and all around darlin’. She was _perfect_ as she was expected to be, and she held me to impossible standards. I wasn’t her and couldn’t compete.”

He squeezed her fingers, offering comfort and encouragement without words.

“Cissy was the baby. She was… _beautiful_ right from the beginnin’. I can remember being no more than five or six and thinkin' I’d never seen a more beautiful baby. I was so proud she was my sister. I thought, “Here. Here is a sister who will love me like Marabeth couldn’t.” I should’a known Marabeth wouldn’t let that happen.” She sighed and looked away.

“What do you mean, Lauren?" How could one sibling stop the other from caring for the first? No one could have turned him against Thor. Yes they had their rivalries, and eventually, his jealousy had caused him to turn his back on his brother himself, but before that, he would have given his life for Thor.

“Marabeth was and still is very good at tellin’ people _a grey truth._ They’re not exactly a lie, but she can take a seemingly harmless comment and twist it to mean somethin' else entirely. It’s what makes her a good lawyer.” 

The pain seemed to ripple from her in waves.

“And she did this with you and Cissy?”

Lauren nodded. “I didn’t know until it was too late how Marabeth had been whisperin’ in Cissy’s ear, tellin' her things like how I hated her because she was the baby and had taken my _position_ in the family, or how I thought she was hideous and ugly. None of it was true, but then Mama and Daddy heard Marabeth talkin’ and…” She shrugged.

He stopped dead center of the road. Anger and shock filled him. “They believed your sister? They believed Marabeth over you?” 

“Cissy was old enough by then to have been well and truly spoiled. You saw her. Mama and Daddy catered to her every whim, so when she backed Marabeth, there was no point in even botherin’ to deny it.”

Eyes downcast, she looked so defeated he hated her family all the more for it. “My love, I’m so very sorry,” he said, tugging her close and cupping her cheek.

“It is what it is. After, I did my best to conform, to live up to expectation, to _be_ an Annandale, but I always seemed to come up short. Marabeth was the heir, expected to make her mark. Cissy was the baby, coddled and catered too. I was, still am, the one who disappoints. Whose only value is in her ability to make a good match and wed an _appropriate_ husband.”

“Lauren, you have far more worth than that. Anyone who knows you, the _real_ you, loves and adores you.” He hated her family with shocking intensity. The small tricks he’d played, the pranks pulled, the little curses he’d cast at lunch were not enough, would never be enough to punish them for the hell they'd put her through. “They may not be able to see your true value, darling, but I can. Those of us who are your chosen family can. You’re the cool head among us all, keeping not just Stark, but the rest of us in line as well. We would not be who we are today without you, Lauren.”

“Oh, I...” She blushed even as her eyes sparkled with tears. “I’m sure everyone would get on just fine without me.”

“No. No, we would not.” Drawing her in till she was firmly caught against him, Loki ran his hand over her sleek tail of hair, giving it a gentle tug to tilt her chin up. “You are _integral_ to our success. While we all see the big picture, the large fight to come, it is often you who sees the small pieces, the little things of common sense we in our grand vision cannot. You may not see it, may not know it, but many times the casual things you say or the questions you ask of us keep us grounded. I have watched Steve seek your opinion on things simply because your humble nature keeps us humble. It is far too easy to see one’s self as a lofty being, living on a height far above the common people when those same common people elevate us to that status. We- _they_ may be heroes, but they are still just people tasked with an extraordinary burden. Because you treat them as equals, they feel it and remain, as I said, grounded.”

Her eyes had long overflowed, her tears falling to drip from her chin. “Loki, I… I’m fairly certain _that_ is now the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Thank you.” Pressing up on her toes, she kissed him softly.

“Hmm,” he hummed, enjoying her softness and tasting the salt of her tears. “If I leave you in tears, my heart, perhaps I am still not doing a good enough job.” Pulling back, he brushed the tears from her face. “If, in the next few days your family becomes exhausting, remember this. The family you are born into is not always the one which is best for you. My own biological parents left me to die. Had the Allfather not shown compassion, I would not be standing here today.”

Sneaking her arms out from between them, Lauren wrapped them around Loki’s neck and rested her head on his chest. “Not a thought I want to contemplate.”

He chuckled softly. “Nor I.” Closing his eyes, he rested his chin on the top of her head, content to stand in the dappled sunlight beneath the gently swaying trees in the middle of this out of the way dirt track. Never before had he been so happy to be so far from civilization and the halls of Asgard. Stroking his fingers over her back, he let the peace and quiet, the sound of the insects and singing birds wash over him, memorized each sound and scent so the memory of this moment would be one he could look back on with clarity.

“This is nice,” Lauren said quietly. “You’re like steppin’ into the big fridge in the kitchen.”

A small smirk curled her lips when he looked down at her upturned face. “If nothing else, I can keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, is that what you’re getting at?”

“I don’t know,” she snickered, playing with his hair. “I’ll have to keep you around till winter to find out.”

“Cheeky,” he chuckled, patting her bottom and making her squeal. “If you think I will allow you to escape me after the winter,” he leaned closer, his proximity to her lips darkening her eyes, “you are _sorely_ mistaken, my Valkyrie.”

The hand at the back of his neck tightened. “Who says I will let _you_ escape me?”

A rumble like a wolf filled his chest as Loki dove in, took her lips and her breath in a searing kiss. Her moan filled his mouth with sweetness, her body moulding to his until she seemed boneless, and his arms were the only thing keeping her upright. He wanted to sink in, wallow in her, take everything she was willing to give. Every touch, every kiss, every perfect, special moment with her made it harder for him to keep his control. To step back when all he wanted to do was step forward, sink in, and _claim_.

Breaking the kiss, he held her away by the waist, keeping her steady while putting distance between them. “You make me forget myself, my love.” Emeralds, dark and sparkling, full of mischievous light nearly made him groan.

“The God of Mischief? Forget himself? How… _interestin’_ ,” she crooned, her smile smug.

“You really are a sassy thing, aren’t you?” Shaking his head, he took her by the hand and tugged her along as she giggled uncontrollably.

By the time they reached the narrow bend in the road, he could see the two-story home which waited, much smaller than the one of Lauren’s parents. It was of an aged design, with peaked roofs, fancy woodwork, and wooden shutters. A faded yellow, the paint peeled in places. It was, in its slightly dilapidated state, far more appealing than the monstrosity of her ancestral home. It was surrounded by forest, encroaching but not aggressively so, but it was the extensive gardens laid out before him which surprised him enough to take his breath.

They were _wild_ , a riot of blooms and buzzing bees. A seeming mishmash of types and sizes, so exceptionally blended it was effortless and stunning. Tube feeders, long and narrow, attracted tiny birds like gleaming jewels. Stones and benches invited one to walk or sit in contemplation. Water trickled in the brook he could hear but not see, while in a separate plot of land, a much more uniform garden was placed,  one clearly meant for edibles as it ran in neat rows.

The woman working within its fenced confines hummed happily in time with her scratching at the earth, a large straw hat upon her head. A white shirt beneath a floral dress, faded yellow like the house, was decorated with yellow bees and bright-faced sunflowers. She was such a contradiction to the refined, elegant - _stuffy_ \- style of Lauren’s other family it set him back on his heels.

Lauren smiled up at him, took the lead, and gave his hand a tug, encouraging him forward when, unbelievably, he found himself nervous to meet the woman who meant so much to her.

Closing in on the fenced garden, Lauren called out, “Gran?”

The elder woman spun around, and her wrinkled face split into a wide grin. “Lulu! C’mon, child and give your gran some sugar!” She shuffled a little, her body language belaying her arthritic frame as she made her way toward the open gate.

One of advanced years, Loki wondered why she did not have a boy or a girl to see to her work. On Asgard, the aged were held in high regard, honoured for their knowledge and experience as that experience was always millennium in the making. He hung back, waiting at the gate while Lauren picked her way across the rows of vegetables to hug her Gran.

“Just look at you _sparkle_ , Lulu!” the elder woman laughed, her eyes a bright blue-green and still very full of life.

Lauren flushed as she was want to do upon receiving a compliment, something Loki now realized had been a rarity in her youth. He made a mental note to do so more often. While he didn’t expect her to become comfortable with them, he hoped she would, someday, not find them such a surprise.

“I missed you so much, Gran,” Lauren sighed, eyes and voice teary.

“Pish!” her Gran huffed. “With such a fine young man standin’ at my gate? You couldn’t have missed me all _that_ much,” she teased.

Lauren glanced his way, and Loki followed her path out into the garden beside a row of high growing green stalks. Upon closer inspection, he realized the twisting vines were climbing netting. Coming to a stop at Lauren’s side, he held out his hand.

“Loki Laufeyson, my Gran, Ellie Annandale.”

Bringing her aged and weathered hand to his lips, Loki kissed her knuckles. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Ellie.”

“Oh, Lulu!” She fanned herself lightly with her free hand, her gardening tool having hit the dirt with her first glimpse of Lauren. “He’s so _fancy_!” A giggle, high and girlish came from Ellie, and her cheeks flushed a similar shade of pink to Lauren’s. “Handsome manners on a handsome man. If I were a few years younger, I’d give you a run for him I would.”

Finding her enchanting, Loki chuckled, and held her fingers between both hands. “If Lauren were not my _Astvínur_ , I would snatch you up and run off to Asgard.”

_“_ Oh my…” she breathed, fanning her face a little faster. “Ain’t you just the tom cat’s kitten.”

“With such beautiful women as the two of you, it cannot be helped.” He kissed her knuckles a second time and grinned broadly at her.

Ellie nudged Lauren with her elbow. “I like him! He’s a keeper.”

Lauren, eyes bright and shining full of appreciation, cocked her head to the side and smiled at him. “I’m beginnin’ to think the same.”

Neither woman noticed the ripple of the chain around Lauren’s throat, but Loki did. The magic in it, his magic, called out to him as the first step in strengthening it was achieved. The sight of it set his heart racing and excitement flowing through his blood.

“Let’s get in outta the sun. We’ll have sweet tea and y’all can tell me what trouble you’ve been gettin’ into in New York. That and you can tell me how your Mama took it when you came home with Mr. Mischief.”

“You wound me, fair Ellie. I am a reformed mischief-maker,” he chuckled, halfway in love with her already. Clearly, this was where Lauren had learned her sass. Tucking Ellie’s hand in his elbow, Loki winked at Lauren. “Perhaps I can entice you into telling me tales of Lauren when she was younger?”

“Oh, I can do you one better,” Ellie giggled.

“Gran, no,” Lauren said, shaking her head.

Another wide grin crossed Ellie’s lips as she leaned conspiratorially toward him. “I have _pictures_!”

***

Hours later Bucky was still snickering about his call with Lauren, well able to imagine how much trouble Loki could cause for people he disliked. If the Trickster hadn’t pulled some kind of stunt, Bucky would have thought him sick.

While he understood the reason behind their sudden _engagement_ , and possibly admired the balls on Loki to make such a forward announcement without knowing how Lauren would take it, he had to admit he was concerned. It was a rapid jump from admission of feelings to an engagement. He didn’t want to see Lauren hurt at some point in the future if this all fell through.

Continuing on into the gym, he found Steve working over a heavy bag and wandered closer, placing his metal hand against it for his friend to work it over a little harder.

“Buck,” Steve nodded.

“Talked to Lauren.”

“Yeah?” Steve glanced at him and arched a brow. “And? He’s behaving?”

Bucky shrugged. “More so than I expected what with Lauren’s family.”

Slowing to a stop, Steve began to unwrap his hands. “It’s that bad?”

“Her mother’s a piece of work,” he grumbled, having found Lauren in tears or on the verge of tears more times than he wished to remember. “Sisters ain’t much better.”

“And her father?”

“Mostly indifferent. I gotta tell ya, Steve, she grew up way the hell different than you or I did. That’s a whole nother world.”

“She’s so sweet. I don’t get it.” He shook his head.

“I don’t either, but not everyone’s moms were like ours.” The memories he had, the ones that had returned to him, were few but precious as were the ones of Steve’s mom.

“Anything I should know you don’t want to tell me?” Steve asked, eyeing him expectantly.

“Well,” Bucky hedged, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Spill it,” Steve demanded and crossed his arms.

It was his _Cap_ pose, one most people found intimidating. Bucky simply smirked at him and crossed his arms in response. “I’ll tell you, but you ain’t allowed to flip out.”

“I do not flip out!”

“Yes, you do, punk.”

“Jerk!” Steve threw a half-hearted punch.

Bucky ducked and swept Steve’s legs out from under him. Looming over Steve flat on his back, he snickered softly. “Don’t start something you can’t finish, pal.”

Steve jerked his legs up and around and took Bucky’s out, sending him crashing to the ground beside him. Kicking up to his feet, a move Bucky mirrored, they slowly began to circle each other, moving away from the heavy bags and weights to give them room.

“Her fucker ex was there when they arrived. Guess things got a little heated between him and Loki during the introductions. Loki pulled his _God of Mischief_ routine. Kind of freaked them all out,” Bucky chuckled, the vindictive side of him pretty pleased with that.

Rushing in, Steve landed a blow to Bucky’s ribs and took one to his thigh for his trouble. He grunted as he slid out of reach. “Please tell me he didn’t summon the helmet?” he sighed.

“Nah, just the staff. Still, it made an impression.”

A smirk curled Steve’s lips. “I bet. Admittedly, he’s good at intimidating people.”

“Most people.”

“Most people,” Steve agreed. “What’s the bad, Buck?”

“Ain’t _bad_ so much as… surprising.” The plates in his arm shifted, drawing Steve’s focus as he threw a right hook.

Arm flashing up, Steve blocked it with a smile and chuckle, his face reading _you’re a shit_ with the move. They traded blows for a few minutes, fists and feet in constant movement, causing them both to breathe heavily when they broke apart.

“Stop stalling. What the hell did he do?” Steve glared at Bucky sternly.

“Such a punk. That shit doesn’t work on me, and you know it.”

Quicker than most people could see, Steve elbowed him in the face, sending Bucky reeling.

“Fuck!” he bellowed when his lip split.

Snorting, Steve snickered, “That’s for being an ass.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes at Steve and swiped the blood from his mouth. “You’re so gonna get it.”

Another round of fast and furious blows saw Steve sporting a bloody nose when Bucky snuck beneath his guard.

“Damn it, Bucky! Just tell me!” Steve barked, pressing the heel of his hand against his face.

“They’re pretending to be engaged!”

“What?” Steve’s eyes had grown as big around as saucers, and Bucky burst out laughing.

“Take it easy, pal. They were trying to make her talk to that asshole. Loki suspects something’s going on there with Lauren’s mother. He didn’t know what, but he didn’t like it and took matters into his own hands to block them from forcing Lauren into something she doesn’t want.”

“Jeez, Buck,” Steve sighed.

“He has a thing for her.”

“Huh?” Head whipping up, Steve muttered, “Really?”

“And her for him.” Bucky grinned.

Steve’s mouth opened and closed twice before he chuckled, “Well… shit. Ain’t that something.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: none

 

* * *

Loki wasn’t sure he’d ever laughed so hard as he had seated on the sofa, photo album over his knees with Ellie on one side and Lauren on the other. Her face was a beautiful shade of pink as her Gran thoroughly embarrassed her. They’d finished an entire pitcher of her Gran’s sweet tea, and Lauren had gotten up to make another when he came across a picture of Lauren seated on a swing hanging from the branch of a large tree.

It gave him pause for she was utterly adorable. Her hair was done up in tails above each ear, and her smile was so wide he could see she was missing her two front teeth. She appeared no more than six or seven, her feet and lower legs a mess of dirt and mud.

“Ah,” Ellie grinned, her voice soft when she noticed which image held his attention. “She’d helped me with the garden that day, weedin’ and waterin’. Spent the entire day here rather than goin' to some frou-frou party Hoyt’s club was throwin’. It was a lovely day. She was so happy.”

The smile she wore shifted into a sadder one, and Loki touched the delicate skin of the back of her hand. “I do not understand how this… _conflict_ within your family arose,” he said softly, Lauren working only a room away. “She is,” he shook his head, “lovely and sweet, yet they treat her so harshly.”

Moisture filled Ellie’s eyes. Turning her hand over, she caught Loki’s fingers between her palms. “Lauren is the definition of sweet. She has a gentle heart, and a carin’ nature not often seen among the high and mighty set Hoyt runs with. My husband, Jasper Annandale, was very much like Hoyt is, and though I love my boy, he’s been a horrible daddy to that girl. He learned it from Jasper, unfortunately,” she sighed, picking up another album. Ellie turned to its front page and traced her fingers over the man in the image. “Jasper wasn’t cruel, but he wasn’t what you’d call _lovin’_ neither. I married him cause he swept me off my feet, turned my world upside down he did, and though I think he cared for me, he cared for his name and his land and marryin’ the prettiest girl in town a lot more. Because of that, prestige and the way we were viewed by society became everythin’ to Hoyt. He married cause it was expected, chose Magnolia cause of her lineage, gave everythin’ to Marabeth cause she’s his heir, and dotes on Cissy cause she’s the baby. That girl’s got him wrapped so tight around his finger it’s a wonder he can breathe,” she huffed. 

“And for this Lauren is what? The spare? They treat her as if she has no worth of her own when, from what I have seen, there is more to love and cherish in her littlest finger than there is the entire rest of that family.” She looked at him sharply, and he sighed. “Forgive me. They are your family, but I dislike how rude they are to Lauren.”

Ellie patted his hand. “S’okay, you’re entitled to an opinion and you ain’t wrong. Lauren’s never been what you’d call _high society_. She’s far too much like me. I hated that house all the years I lived there.” She flicked her hand at the room. “I much preferred this one. The one I grew up in. It was always full of laughter and love. When Jasper passed, Lauren was still just a babe. This house had sat empty for years, but I had kept it, knowin’ someday I’d come back. Come home. As Lauren grew, it became doubly important. I couldn’t change her daddy’s mind, nor beat some sense into that woman who’s her mama, but I could give her this. A place to come when she needed to shelter her tender heart.”

Loki lifted Ellie's fingers to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “I will never be able to thank you for that. You cared for my _Astvínur,_ watched over her, guarded her heart until the duty could become mine. I will cherish you forever for that, Lady Ellie.”

She giggled again, blushed a bright pink, and patted his cheek. “You’re a sweet talker; a silver-tongued devil for sure. You make my Lulu the happiest I’ve ever seen her. I’m glad she finally found the courage to do somethin' about the Mischief God she was all on about in her letters. Though I do wonder at the _speed_ in which y’all have gone from nothin’ to somethin’? You a mighty swift mover, Loki, or is there somethin’ more y’all have cooked up to get Magnolia of my Lulu’s case?”

“A bit of both, Gran,” Lauren said, returning in time to hear the last of the conversation. She set the tray with pitcher and glasses on the coffee table, pulled an embroidered stool over, and sat at her Gran’s knee. Fingers playing with her ring again, a nervous gesture Loki couldn’t help but smile at, she glanced at him before speaking. “When mama called me a couple of days ago, she was hell-bent on havin’ me home to make up with George.”

Ellie snorted in distaste. “That man is a fool, and your mama’s a nitwit thinkin’ she can make you get back with the likes of _him_.”

Shame coloured her face when Lauren looked down at her hands. “George was the only thing Gran and I’d ever fought about. I should’a listened to you, I just…” Her shoulders slumped forward, regret and humiliation in her posture.

“Now, Lu, you know it wasn't your fault. You were young, and he was a charmin' man. I could just see you makin’ the same mistakes I did at your age. I didn’t want ya gettin’ hurt. I saw it as history repeatin’, and when the cards read out the same, I had to say somethin’.” Cupping Lauren’s face, she lifted her granddaughter’s chin and kissed her cheek. “In a way, I was happy he stood you up. I didn’t want you hurt, but I knew if you’d married him, you’d never leave. It wasn’t in your nature to quit, child, and he was a man who’d break your heart and leave you bleedin’ in the dust when he walked out on ya.”

“I know that now, Gran,” she whispered, eyes full of unshed tears. “I should’a listened to you.”

“Cards?” Loki looked between the two women.

“That would be the _crazy_ daddy talks of. Gran reads the tarot cards. She’s pretty good.” 

When her gran scoffed, Lauren giggled. “Pretty good? Child, I’ve been tellin’ fortunes longer than you’ve been around!” Ellie huffed, shooing Lauren to pour her another glass of tea.

“Really?” Loki asked, a smirk blooming. “You didn’t tell me you had a seer in your family, my sweet.”

“It’s not somethin’ which comes up in casual conversations, Loki.” She rolled her eyes as she poured.

“Yet you ask me about Strange’s portals?” 

Ellie’s blue-green eyes were bright with laughter as she sipped her tea, excitement causing them to twinkle with a devilish light. “I’m sure Lulu was much more inclined to coax you into showin' her real magic than talkin’ of her crazy Gran who dabbles in things.”

“Would you like to see a trick, fair Ellie?” he asked, green wisps of his power already flitting around his fingers. She nodded with the same enthusiasm as a child and made him chuckle. “Very well.” He turned to sit facing her on the sofa, chanced a glance at Lauren, and had to bite back a laugh as identical looks of excitement filled both their faces.

Loki brought his hands together, let the magic gather, twist, and writhe, moulding itself into what he wished, and finally opened his palms. The green wisps fell away leaving a vibrant orange flower in his hands. More than three dozen petals, each one edged in gold, opened around a center cone of red with stamens of blue rising from the middle. Its fragrance was one of honeyed mead, sweet and light and beautiful. “This is a _Fortryllende_ flower. They are exclusive to Asgard, created by Odin for Frigga as a courting gift. My mother loved nothing more than spending hours in her gardens, tending flowers just like this one.” Those had been happy times when he could spend an hour or a day with Frigga, learning of magic and growing things.

“Oh, my,” Ellie sighed, hand to her heart as she stared at the flower spread out over his palms. “It’s lovely.” Reverently she reached out, taking it gently from him.

“They bloom for a hundred days.” He smiled at her gasp.

“Truly?” Lauren asked, eyes wide and full of shock.

He set the flower in Ellie’s palms. “It was how long it took for Odin to convince Frigga she was his one. The flower will live for one hundred days as long as it’s cared for.”

“Lulu, help an old woman up! I know just the bowl to put this in!”

Loki assisted even as he chuckled, taking one elbow as Lauren lifted against the other, and watched fondly as Ellie bustled out of the room, chattering quietly about how beautiful the flower was and if she could only find the right bowl. She knew it was in one of the cabinets; she just had to find it.

When Lauren stepped into him, her arms went around his waist, and her head came to rest against his chest. He was surprised to feel her shake and swiftly tilted up her chin. Silent tears were sliding down her cheeks, causing his heart to stop.

“Lauren, my love? What is it? What did I do?”

She shook her head. “Nothing, nothing. That was… you were… _perfect_ ,” she shuddered, drawing in a ragged breath.

“Then why are you upset, darling?”

“You’re so good to her. From the moment you met, you’ve been… just… _everythin’_!” Her hands tightened, fisting in the back of his shirt. “You made her so happy, and I just… I can’t.”

“Of course, of course.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks. “She’s your Gran, darling. If she’s important to you, special to you, of course, she’d be special to me. She’s a lovely woman. I can see why you are as kind and generous as you are if she was your role model growing up.”

Lauren gave a soft sob. “She means everythin’ to me. I can’t tell you how often she dried my tears, let me stay here cause home was just… too much. To see you with her, like this, treat her with more respect than my own sisters, Loki… I…”

He pressed his thumb to her lips, shushing her softly. “Darling, she’s a charming woman. I like her very much. It is unfortunate the rest of your family is heinous for they are missing out on two extraordinary, rather incredible women.” He bent and took her mouth gently, with care, the lack of both in her life making him doubly prepared to give her more, show her more.

Ellie’s muttering faded away as he drew Lauren up, drew her in, sinking into the lushness of her giving lips. He felt his heart stutter and fall, landing with a splat at her feet. The tentative sweep of her tongue against his lips sent a rumble of pleasure through his chest. He moaned softly when her tongue flicked over the edge of his teeth, pressed against his, twisted and danced with it, and tilted his head. He sank lower, dragged her higher, wrapped his arms around her tighter, until the kiss grew hotter, more demanding with each suck and nip.

“Perhaps that ring’s not so phony after all,” Ellie snickered from the doorway, causing them to break apart like guilty teenagers caught doing something naughty.

Loki smiled down at Lauren. “One can only hope.”

A flush coloured her cheeks as she smiled and looked away.

“I think you’d best stay for supper and tell me the rest, that way I’m in the know and not sayin’ somethin’ I shouldn’t,” Ellie said, setting the bowl down on the top of her piano. “I’ve got a-hankerin' for fried chicken, and Lulu makes the best biscuits.”

“Another hidden talent, my heart?” he asked, caressing her cheek. “You’ve never cooked at the tower.”

“That’s because I know how Bucky and Steve eat. Throw in your brother, and I’d be stuck in the kitchen all day,” Lauren laughed, releasing the grip she had on his shirt.

“Indeed,” Loki snickered, following the two women into the other room, perfectly content to experience this side of Lauren all for himself.

***

A glass of wine in hand, Loki smiled at the pictures of Lauren along the mantle above the fireplace. There were others as well, pictures of her sisters in various stages of their lives, but he only had eyes for his Lauren.

There were ones of her in pigtails and frilly dresses, shorts and t-shirts, laughing and soaking wet with a frizzy-haired Sadie. Another showed her in tight breeks, high boots, and a dark jacket dressed for riding, her beautiful blonde hair tied in a bun at the nape of her neck. Next to her stood a pretty white mare, sleek and shining in the sun. Lauren looked lovely, a young lady in the blush of womanhood. Innocent and sweet.

The soft sounds of washing up and the laughter of the two women in the kitchen made him smile as he poked around the room. They’d chased him out after feeding him one of the best meals he’d ever eaten, including the excellent vintage he drained from his glass and set on a table.

Another of Ellie’s hobbies included homemade wine, something else her son Hoyt was not overly impressed with, but the older woman had a knack for it. She created the drink with fruit from her own trees, along with jams and jellies. She made her own bread, pickled her own vegetables, and baked the most incredible pie Loki had ever tasted. The woman was a culinary _genius_.

When he’d said as much, Ellie had laughed, waved her hand dismissively, and pointed at Lauren, telling him to have her granddaughter make him a Hummingbird cake at her earliest convenience. Lauren had scoffed a little, but pink had filled her cheeks, and she’d glanced at him, her eyes full of pleasure.

He wondered if he could entice her into making it for him tomorrow. Perhaps he could convince her to let him help. Cage her against the counter and hold her close, his hand over hers on the spoon, his lips on the curve of her throat. He had no idea what a Hummingbird cake was, but if Lauren made it, he would happily enjoy every bite.

Continuing around the room, Loki couldn’t help but compare the immaculate showplace of Lauren’s ancestral home with the cozy, nearly shabby one of her grandmother. It was a much better resemblance to what he knew of Lauren from her rooms within the Tower. Though practically every flat surface was covered with a knick-knack or a memento, and the furniture was that of old, well-loved pieces, he knew no matter what item he picked up, should he return with it to Ellie, the elderly woman would have some story or memory attached to it. They were not just _things_ to fill a space, but precious belongings from cherished days.

If there was a little dust on a few of them, he paid it no mind.

From the parlour, he wandered through the dining room with its curio cabinets full of painted ladies and fancy teacups into a room at the back of the house filled with plants and wicker furniture encased in glass. It retained the heat of the day, something the tropical plants clearly enjoyed as each and every one was in full bloom. Orchids, fragrant and sweet fairly dripped with blossoms, but it was the colourful glass orbs hanging from the ceiling all around the room and along the windows which caught his eye.

Loki moved closer to touch one gently. It was hand blown glass, the colours blending like the drips of watercolour painting.

“They’re called fairy orbs,” Lauren said quietly from the doorway.

When he held out his hand to her, she came to his side without hesitation. “They’re lovely. What are they for?”

Lauren touched the pretty blue ball, sending it dancing gently, and causing the colours to change with the setting sunlight skating over it. “Legend says they attract fairies and luck.  The orbs remind fairies of flowers, and they come to see the colours. The fairies find the orb to be a wonderful treat and reward its owner by bestowin’ him or her with luck. I found the first,” she pointed to a purple one hanging farther down the row, “in a little shop in Soho. Now, I watch for them, and when I find a particularly pretty one, I send it to Gran.”

Loki shook his head as he looked around. “There must be four dozen.”

“I’ve been collectin’ them for her for years. Sometimes I come across three or four and can’t choose, so I send all of them.”

A sudden thought crossed his mind, setting a wicked smile breaking upon his lips. “Will you get your Gran, love?”

She frowned, suspicion showing in the narrowing of her eyes. “What are you up to now?”

“You’ll see, darling.” He winked at her and sent her off with a gentle push.

Once she was away, he turned back to the pretty glass balls and got to work. He walked the length of the room, touching each one gently, adding a simple brush of magic to the orbs, finishing with the last as Ellie and Lauren returned, a tray of tea in hand.

“My Lulu says you’re up to somethin’, Mr. Mischief,” Ellie smirked, her tone mildly scolding.

“You wound me, fair Ellie.” Loki went quickly to her side, collected her hand, and tucked it in his elbow before leading her out to sit on the padded wicker seat. He turned with a smile to take the tea service from Lauren and set it on the small glass table. Once she, too, was seated, Loki crouched and pointed toward the ceiling. “I simply wished to make sure you would not miss your guests.”

“What guest…” Ellie’s voice faded as awe replaced words. “Oh my.”

“You seem to have gathered a host of fairies to your bower,” Loki said quietly as the magic he’d woven into each orb came to life.

They started as small lights, skipping and swirling within the balls, gradually growing brighter as the sun descended, the thickness of the forest helping it fade faster. Eventually, each orb had a ‘fairy’ within, the light roughly the size of a large grape. They seemed to flutter, inspecting the glass before one by one they flickered out and faded away into the night. The show lasted no more than five minutes, but when he looked to Ellie, her eyes were misty though her face was filled with joy.

“Fairies,” she whispered. “You gave me fairies.”

“A woman as magical as you should always have fairies,” he said softly, finding himself well and truly smitten with the amazing woman who’d raised his Lauren.

She turned to him, the tears sparkling in her eyes, and placed her hand upon his cheek. “You’re a good boy, Loki, to do somethin’ like this for an old woman.”

“You are far too young to call yourself old, Ellie.” His throat felt raw with her praise.

“Pish. I’m only as old as I feel, ain’t that right? Well, I feel plenty old when my granddaughter brings home a man who wields magic as easily as others do them fancy cellphones. You showed an old woman somethin’ she’d never thought to see in her lifetime. I bet you make your mama _very_ proud.”

The words hit him hard, setting him back on his heels as he pulled away. “Frigga has been gone some years now.” He didn’t see the glance shared between Lauren and her Gran, but the touch of her paper-thin hand to his face did not go unnoticed.

“She would still be proud of who you have become, Loki.” Ellie patted his cheek. “You made an old woman very happy today.” She leaned forward and pecked a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, peaches.”

A small, pleased smile curled his lips. “So that is where Lauren gets her endearment from.”

“Hun, we call everyone peaches,” Ellie giggled, giving him a wink. “Now, I was gonna have tea with y’all, but all this excitement has me tuckered out. I think I’ll head on upstairs and tuck myself in. Lulu, you put those cups back when you’re finished.” Ellie patted the top of Lauren’s head, bent and bussed her a kiss, and headed inside. “Gonna dream of fairies and fancy Gods with mischievous smiles tonight. You bet I am,” she chuckled as she shuffled into the house, her enthusiasm a contradiction to her movements.

“Should we leave?” Loki asked, watching the elderly woman go.

Lauren shook her head. “Drink the tea. It would be a shame to waste it, and Gran knows I’ll show myself out, lock up when I leave.”

He took Ellie’s vacated seat and accepted the cup she handed him, sipping at the fragrant liquid. The only light was that from the interior of the house, a pale gold which spilled across the floor behind them, casting Lauren’s face in shadows.

She kept her eyes on her cup as she said, “You did a wonderful thing tonight. The fairies for her.”

“It was simple. An easy trick to master. Not difficult at all.” 

“Maybe so, but it was special to her. It was special for… me,” Lauren whispered. “I hate that you can’t see how amazin’ you are.”

“Lauren,” he sighed, looking away.

Her cup hit the table with a clatter; his a second later when she took it from him by force. It shocked him enough that by the time she’d moved to straddle his lap, he had no defence against her.

She clutched at his shirt and shook her head. “No! No more, Loki! You _are_ a good man, your mama would be proud of you, of who you’ve become, and you’re just as much a hero as Steve or Bucky or any of the others!”

“But I’m not, not really,” he sighed, looking up at her, flushed and glowing, eyes alight with purpose. “Look at all the damage I’ve done, Lauren. At the people killed because of my actions.”

“You made mistakes, Loki, I’m not saying you haven’t, but you are not the same person you were then! I know that. I see it every day.” She shifted her hands to his face. “I wouldn’t be here with you if you were.”

“My heart.” He brought his hands to her hips, closing his eyes to shut out the beseeching nature of her soul seeking gaze.

Her forehead dropped to his, sending moisture falling on his face as tears rained from her eyes. “You didn’t cause you mama’s death.”

“But I wasn’t there to stop it either. I could have. I could have prevented her death had I not been vain and selfish.”

“Or you could have died!” Lauren cried. “You could have been killed by the Dark Elves no different than she was!” Her arms went around his neck, and she buried her face against his jaw. “Then where would I be? I wouldn’t have you. I wouldn’t know your magic. I wouldn’t know the feel of your hands or the way your heart beats against mine. I wouldn’t know what it felt like to really and truly _love_ someone. Loki.” She lifted her head, and he opened his eyes to find hers, washed in tears and filled with love. “You call me your heart, your love, your darlin’, but if I’m yours, you’re mine. I know I don’t have the best track record with men, but don’t you think I would know how to pick a good one when I found him? Especially after the last one?”

He smirked a little. “Perhaps you’re just blinded by my good looks, my sweet.”

She snorted her thoughts about that. “And maybe you need to cut yourself some slack.” Threading her fingers through his hair, she tilted his head back against the seat and loomed over him. “Can you honestly tell me Frigga wouldn’t be happy with who you are today?”

He gave in and sighed. “Frigga would likely be most pleased I was no longer at odds with Thor.”

“So you’re sayin'…?” She tilted her head, arching her brow as a sly smirk broke over her lips.

He rolled his eyes. “She’d be proud of me.”

“Better,” Lauren snickered, leaning down to press her lips to his. His hands skated up her back, but she resisted his attempt to draw her closer. “You may not believe it, but you are a hero.”

He scoffed softly, refusing to snort though he felt like it. “To who?”

“Me,” she whispered. “You’re my hero. After today, all you’ve done for Gran, if I weren’t already in love with you, I would have been head over heels for you.”

“Are you saying you fell a little deeper, darling?” he teased, nipping at her chin.

“Right down the well, _elskin min_ ,” she crooned, lips brushing his.

He shook his head at her cheeky words. “It seems the Norns have played quite the trick on their Trickster. A mischief-making female all of my own. Whatever shall I do with you?”

“I can think of a few things, silver-tongued devil,” she murmured, her grin smug.

“Oh?” Again he tightened his hands, drawing her closer. “What things?”

By-passing his lips, she whispered hers over his cheek in a shiver-inducing caress. With a nip at his ear, she sighed, “Such _heavenly_ things,” and caused his heart to pound.

He moaned, unable to hold it back, and flicked his hand out at the tea service. Everything disappeared, reappearing clean and in its proper place within the kitchen. “Let me take you home, love,” he coaxed, drawing his lips along her jaw. His hands tenderly stroke down her back to cup her buttocks as Loki drew her in, rocked up into her, and showed her the effect she had on him.

She gave a soft gasp and quiver before nodding her agreement. “Walk with me through the forest,” she urged. “This is my favourite time of day. Let me show you.”

He would much rather return them in the same manner in which they’d arrived, but a glance up at her big eyes, deep green like that of the pine trees and full of pleading, had him adjusting his plans. “Whatever you wish, Lauren.”

Her smile was radiant as he helped her to her feet and led her back through the house. Already it was quiet, the sounds of the old home settling as the air began to cool. He watched Lauren turn out lights as she went, lock doors and check windows. It was a routine she was clearly familiar with; one she’d done many times.

It set an ache in his heart for the woman. To feel oneself an outcast in their own home, he understood it, but only because he’d cast himself in the same light once upon a time. It was a position _he_ had put himself in. But here, she was viewed in that light her whole life for a reason he still could not fathom. Yet she was not bitter, nor cold, she did not rail against her fate.

She did not yell and scream and curse the Gods who’d cast her out and placed her in this cold light. She remained poised, beautiful and soft. A diamond polished under a cruel wheel which had not broken nor been worn down, but shone with an inner fire and strength he was only beginning to understand in full.

When they stepped beyond the door to the porch, Lauren shut the door at her back after locking the knob. Loki took her by the hand and drew her in close. He touched her cheek, letting the pads of his fingers caress the soft flesh, in awe of her and all she’d done in her short life. “You are perhaps the strongest woman I have ever known. Frigga would have loved you and Odin would have found you charming.”

“High praise indeed,” she chuckled softly.

“The All-Father and I may not have seen things on the same level, but he had a way of seeing the heart of a person. Their inner strength. I believe even he would have been in awe of you… as I am.”

The amusement fell into wonder before a blush coloured her cheeks, and she looked shyly away. “You’re sweet, but I-”

He placed his finger on her lips. “You are a Valkyrie, strong of spirit and will. You are a Goddess with your soft heart and caring nature, and you are the greatest of High Priestesses, for you have captured the heart of the Trickster God. I have never loved you more than I do right now.”

Again she looked at him with eyes full of wonder, the surprise making his heart squeeze as he leaned down and placed a reverent kiss upon her lips. When he pulled back, he wondered if her lips tingled as his did. If her heart beat just as hard.

He drew his thumb over her lower lip. “Show me your forest, _elskin min._ ”

She said nothing, only smiled gently, laced her fingers through his, and led him down the stairs into the night.

***

In a golden-domed building situated at the end of the rainbow bridge, the all-seeing eyes of Heimdall looked down upon the earth. He’d been watching the happenings with curiosity for Loki was not where he was supposed to be. This, typically, would be cause for great anxiety among the ones Thor called the Avengers, but they were continuing about their business as if nothing were amiss.

Intrigued, he continued to watch, especially when the spikes in magic grew. Loki was doing far more trickery than usual in the tiny town he was currently playing in, but it was the woman with him who finally attracted Heimdall's notice. Loki moved around her, a wolf on guard, one protecting his most cherished prize.

He chuckled when the realization of what he witnessed finally dawned clear like the sun over Asgard. The God of Mischief had finally met his match. He moved enough to catch the attention of the two guards at the door and called out, “Inform the King his presence is requested.” One of the two scurried away, the sound of a horse’s hooves scrabbling on the bridge coming back to him, but Heimdahl paid it no mind.

Thor would come. It would not matter with what the King was occupied. He would come because a call from the Guardian was rare.

Heimdall resumed his observation, watching Loki with amusement. Well and truly smitten, the God of Mischief was so wrapped up with his woman he did not even notice the eyes upon him.

The crack of thunder preceded his King’s coming before Thor arrived at his side. “My King.”

“Heimdall. What have your eyes seen that you would call for me?”

“Your brother is not where he should be.”

A soft sigh left Thor’s lips before he pinched the bridge of his nose. “What has he done now? Will I be receiving an irate summons from Stark?”

“They do not seem upset by his change of location, and Loki is… occupied at present.”

That had Thor looking up with interest. “Occupied with what?”

“Not a what, but a who. A pretty blonde woman holds all of Loki’s attention. So much so, he has not noticed my eyes. Strange indeed.” Heimdall had a smirk twitch his lips.

“Blonde?” Thor’s eyes widened. “Quite sleek, moves a bit like a cat, has green eyes?”

“A fitting description, my king.”

“Lauren,” Thor chuckled, a smile growing to fill his face before he threw back his head and laughed. “He finally did it!” Clapping his large hands together, Thor looked at Heimdall. “Tell me _everything_!”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Fluff, angst, violence, Smut NSFW 18+

 

* * *

Lauren tugged gently at Loki’s hand, urging him forward into the twilight of the forest. There was enough light left of the blazing reds and oranges along the horizon to show the path, the twisting track she’d walked into the earth over days and weeks and years of finding her way to and from her Gran’s house.

When she was little, she’d played at being Red Riding Hood on the trail to her Gran’s, sans basket full of goodies, but that hadn’t mattered. She’d pretended to meet the wolf anyway, but her wolf had never been cruel. Never been unkind. He was the consummate gentleman. Courtly. A little otherworldly with his sharp eyes, pointed canines, and bushy tail, but he’d been ever so handsome.

She glanced back at Loki, face warming, for right here and now her wolf, her handsome saviour was far more than she could have ever imagined. The sharpness of his gaze on her face set her blushing a little harder.

He tugged her back and brought her to his side, releasing her fingers to bring her beneath the safety of his shoulder. “What is that look for, my sweet?”

“Nothin’ really. I was just thinkin’ about all the times I played in this forest as a girl. I was never one to imagine a knight in shinin’ armour coming to sweep me off my feet. I was always more inclined to creatures of an _unusual_ bent.”

He chuckled softly. “No handsome prince to rescue the damsel?”

She shook her head while tucking her hands around his waist. “I’d rather a wolf, rugged and wild.”

“Ah, something mystical. Perhaps a _God_ , one of trickery and magic could fulfill such a role?”

She laughed at his voice, hope-filled and a touch smug. “Now, I don’t know. When I was thirteen the idea of a man with eyes of gold, sharp canines, and a fluffy tail was everythin’ I ever wanted. Not sure his highness in all his _godly glory_ would make a fittin’ substitute,” she teased.

“How quickly you forget, darling,” he crooned in her ear, releasing her to back away as she came to a confused halt. “Changing my shape has never been an issue.” The magic swelled around him, and he turned, a wolf dark as the night appearing where he’d previously stood.

She gasped and took a step in retreat. Even knowing it was him, he’d still given her a fright.

Eyes of gleaming gold watching her intently from his now dark face as Loki padded forward, bringing his muzzle to her fingers, and nudging until her hands lifted. She passed them over his face and ears, delved back into the heavy ruff, soft as a bunny’s fur, the same silky texture of his hair. “Oh my,” she whispered.

A rumble of pleasure growled from him as she settled slowly to her knees. She ran her hands over his face; stroked the silky ears. The thick pelt felt wonderful beneath her fingers, and she dragged them down his chest, earning herself a sound which was nearly a purr. A wicked smirk twitched her lips when she returned her fingers to his ear and scratched gently behind it.

He groaned, eyes closing in bliss, hind foot shifting before he froze. Gold eyes opened with a snap and narrowed on her face.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Feel nice?” Lauren fought hard to keep her face straight.

Lips curled back over sharp teeth before he leaned forward and swiped his rough tongue over her cheek.

Lauren squealed and shoved him away, lurching back to her feet as she swiped at the slobber. “That’s so not nice!”

Loki looked at her innocently, crouched down, tail swinging, and eyes full of laughter. He leapt forward, snuck his nose beneath the hem of her dress and licked the back of her thigh.

“Ah! Loki!” she scolded, darting away. “Bad! Bad dog!” He looked so affronted at being called a dog, she burst out laughing.

The low, deep growl which rippled through the air next caused her heart to jump and her eyes to snap back to his. “My, what big teeth you have,” she whispered.

He would never hurt her, she knew it, but he was intimidating when he looked at her like that. His tongue swept out, licked at his canines as he advanced, step by stalking step, spiking her heart rate for he looked very much the hungry wolf.

“This wasn't how my fantasy played out when I was a girl, Loki,” she warned, backing away from the hunting wolf. She had no idea how he managed it, but the wolf was wearing his smile, the smug, mischief filled grin she knew and loved.

The growl got louder, deadlier. It did things to her on a visceral level as she continued to back away. Heat filled her abdomen, moisture dampened her underwear, and when his nostrils flared, she knew he could smell her. Something feral filled his eyes, and she bolted.

A triumphant howl shattered the tranquillity of the forest as she ran, heart tripping, skin tingling with awareness. She made no more than a dozen strides before his arms captured her around the waist, swinging her up off her feet and setting her squealing in shock. Her back connected with the rough bark of a tree, and he caged her against it.

The gold was still in his eyes as he panted, breath mingling with hers, rushing together full of excitement. “Did no one ever warn you running from a predator was basically inviting them to chase you?”

Lauren smiled and slid her hands up his chest. “Maybe I wanted to be chased.”

“Minx,” he growled, “You play a dangerous game.”

“Dangerous for who?”

“For the girl about to be ravaged by the wolf in the forest,” he snarled, mouth going to her throat.

Lauren gasped, shuddered when the sharp scrape informed her he’d kept the teeth to go with the eyes. “Loki,” she sighed, rocking into his unforgiving frame.

His hands found the tie to her hair, snapped it easily, and clenched a fistful, dragging her head to the side. His mouth played havoc with her pulse point, biting, sucking, tongue soothing the sting as she moaned and he worked his way down to her shoulder, closed his teeth and made her shudder.

Dragging her from the tree, Loki spun her around. His hand splayed across her throat as he pushed her gently back into the bark while the other shoved the hair from her nape.

Lauren braced against the trunk of the large maple and whimpered softly when those same sharp points skating the bones of her spine, clamped at her nape. She cried out when he licked a line of heat up the delicate bones to her hairline. The hard length of his cock through his pants settled between the cheeks of her ass, and he thrust against her as he drew her head back.

Lips whispered over her ear, his murmured words were laced with seduction. “You are no longer a girl on the cusp of womanhood but a woman who deserves a memory worthy of her. A wolf who is willing to take what he wants. A lover who will see you satisfied. You tempt me, pet, with every breath and sigh to forgo my vow and take you as I wish. To tear that dress from your body, roll you into the wildflowers and claim what is mine. But you are _elskan min._ I made you a promise, and no matter how difficult I intend to keep it.”

“Loki! Please!” she begged, so turned on she could feel the slickness of arousal on her thighs.

“I want you on your bed, love, where I can take my time, touch every inch of you, drive you high and make you scream for me.” Rocking into her, he slipped his free hand between her belly and the trunk and tugged her back until only her palms pressed against the bark.

Every word caused the coil inside her to tighten. His voice was magic, settling in her bones and making her ache with the visuals he created. “Need you!” she cried out, legs beginning to shake she wanted his touch so badly.

The hand at her throat fell, closed over her breast, squeezed and kneaded. The one at her waist rucked her dress up, skimmed over the soaked lace of her core. “Here, darling?” he purred against her nape, lips continuing to suck and teeth to nip.

Lauren arched and moaned, her body bending fluidly as she turned her head and writhed against his strong hands. She reached back and clamped her hands on his hips, thrusting with each rock of his body, keeping him pressed almost painfully hard against her.

“Fuck!” he hissed, clearly enjoying himself as much as she was.

Words failed her when his strong fingers tore the lace from her body and sank deep. They grazed something inside her which raced electricity through her blood. Between his hand on her breast, the feel of him so big and hard behind her and the thrust of fingers and palm against her core, she couldn’t hold back and rocked against him. She rode his talented hand, the hard panting of his breath against her ear an added bonus to the feral nature of her once gentlemanly wolf.

Crying out, she arched hard into his touch as the tension mounted. The coil tightened. Her walls fluttered and quaked around his fingers.

“There,” he groaned, hand returning to her throat from her breast, tilting her head back so he could kiss the corner of her parted lips. “That’s it, my love. Seek Valhalla,” he coaxed, urging her on, taking her higher with each plunge of his fingers. “Open your eyes, pet.”

They felt weighed down when she tried. The pleasure of his touch suffused every inch of her body. When she finally succeeded, his eyes had returned to piercing blue, still easily seen in the deep dusk which had fallen over the forest.

“Lo-Loki,” she moaned.

A particularly hard thrust of his hips finally broke the coil, and she gave a soundless scream when the pleasure stole her breath. His lips parted. A wicked moan fell from them as he jerked against her spine, causing a second rush of wetness to coat his fingers when his monumental control finally cracked.

She’d never seen anything more beautiful than Loki at that moment. When he lost himself to the pleasure of their bodies moving together. It filled her with wonder and pride to know he was just as affected, wanted her just as much as she did him.

His hand slipped slowly from her body as he cleared his throat. “Well, that was… delightful yet embarrassing.”

Magic rippled around them both, and Lauren was suddenly feeling much refreshed. Turning into his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him down till they were nearly nose to nose. “No, peaches. That was sexy as hell.”

His brow arched, a skeptical tilt to his lips. “Really?”

“Hm,” she hummed, pressing against him. “A woman likes knowin’ she can drive her man to distraction. Besides, I was feelin’ a little guilty. All these trips to Valhalla my poor god was missin’ out on.”

A soft chuckle washed away the last of his embarrassment, replaced by a sly grin. “Oh, I assure you, my heart, I was planning to make up for it at a later date.”

Feeling bold with her new taste of feminine prowess, Lauren gave him a saucy smile as she pulled away, wandering up the trail toward home. She linked her fingers behind her and called casually over her shoulder, “Considerin’ how good your skin seems to always taste, _darlin',_ I can’t wait.”

The silence lasted so long she finally stopped to look back at him. The look on Loki's face was priceless. Bursting out laughing, she brought her hand to her lips, hoping to stifle her giggles.

His face took on a devilish cast, brows lowering, his smile growing wicked as he shook off his shock and started toward her. “Woman,” he growled, as she began to back away, “that was decidedly cruel of you to put such thoughts in my head.”

“I’m fairly certain they were already there, my prince.” She gave a mocking bow and kept backing away.

“What did I say about running from a predator, _darling_?” He rolled the ‘r’ no different than she had, but he sounded so much sexier. 

“Am I your prey, oh mighty God of Mischief?”

“Cheeky girl. Perhaps I should just make you my sacrifice.” His eyes had darkened, taking on the edge which always preceded him doing some sort of trickery.

“I thought a sacrifice had to be willin’?” she quipped, continuing to maintain the distance between them. Thankfully the trail was flat, smoothed with age and weather. She wasn’t worried about setting her foot wrong and knew it as well as she knew her own name.

“Who says you wouldn’t be, _pet_?”

For some reason, though _pet_ made her think of kittens and puppies, when he used it on her, Lauren felt the endearment right to the bones. She came to a stop and stood her ground with her chin up, as he approached. When his big hands spanned her waist and what light was left faded to throw him entirely into shadows, Lauren peered up at him through the darkness, at how his eyes shone so brightly even now and smiled.

Her hands against his chest, she stroked a slow pattern across his pectorals, ones lightly defined by the thin cotton of his shirt. “I think you’d be right about that. I’m pretty sure I’ll always be willin’,” she said softly.

“Lauren,” he sighed just as quietly and bent to press a kiss to her lips but paused a breath away.

She glided her hands up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck, Lauren pressed up on her toes, smirking as she brought her mouth to his. “You’re a terrible tease.”

“But a fabulous flirt,” he chuckled, brushing her lips.

A giggle slipped out as she drew him down, kissed him quickly, and darted away laughing.

“You are asking for trouble, woman!” he growled, stalking after her.

Lauren only laughed harder, enjoying the wild and crazy mad dash through the woods. Loki’s footfalls were nearly silent, his breathing unchanged as he paced her through the trees. She knew he could have caught her easily, he had once already, but it seemed her wolf was content to follow where she led and play a little.

It didn’t take long, her pace slowing once the sound of running water grew louder. Lauren panted for breath and held out her hand, excitement filling her. “Come see. This is it!” She dragged him onward, unaware of the amusement on his face or the appreciation in his eyes when he looked at her, too intent on her very favourite place. Her secret haven. Her own little slice of paradise.

She ducked beneath a low hanging branch and inhaled the scent of the vanilla from the few remaining magnolia blossoms. A few feet from the bank of the trickling creek, she came to a stop and drew his hand around her waist as he pulled her back against him. Resting her head against Loki’s chest, she sighed, smiling at the serenity of the place which continued to pull her back every time she came home.

“This is my secret garden. It’s still on Gran’s property, so most people haven’t been here, and my sisters weren’t inclined to walk, so they left me to my haven.”

“I’m certain it is lovely in the daytime, darling, but it is rather dark.” He lifted his hand from her waist, green wisps wrapping his fingers.

Lauren grabbed his hand, drawing it back to her waist. “Wait.”

“For?”

She patted his hands where they rested on her belly. “Just wait.”

He relaxed against her spine, body curling as he lowered his head to draw his lips over her ear. The soft brush made her shiver. The wash of his breath was cool against her heated skin. It felt nice, and she tilted her head to the side, reached up and pulled her hair out of the way.

“Such a pleasing Valkyrie,” he crooned, lips whispering down her throat, and tongue dragging back up.

“Loki,” she whimpered, his touch sending heat rushing through her veins.

“Your skin is so soft.” He brushed his nose along her shoulder. “I adore this perfume.” He breathed against her pulse. His hands skimmed up, tightened on her ribcage, held her closer. “You taste like sugar. Like Asgard’s finest wine.”

The sweep of his tongue along her jawline made Lauren’s knees weak. “Loki,” she sighed.

“What are we waiting for, _elskan min_?” he coaxed, running the tip of his nose over her cheek.

Opening eyes she hadn’t realized she’d closed, Lauren blinked to clear the fog from her brain and smiled at the sight before her. “Them.” She nodded with her chin.

The tiny bugs with the brightly lit bottoms were just beginning to flicker at the water’s edge. One by one they emerged, fireflies winking on and off, moving together in an intricate dance over the water and in and out the tree branches. Their lights were just enough to brighten the entire clearing, and Lauren pulled away from Loki’s hold to slip her shoes from her feet.

They were surprisingly comfortable. Not even a rub mark or tender sole to be found. He really did think of everything. She stepped slowly over the rocks into the stream, letting the little beetles swirl and fly around her. The water felt cool on her overheated skin, and she tilted her head back to see the stars sprinkled across the inky night sky.

“I spent many a night here, sometimes with Sadie but usually alone, starin’ at the stars, wonderin’ if there was anyone out there.” She looked back to Loki standing a few feet away, hands tucked in his pockets as he watched her from the shadows. “Can you tell where Asgard is from here?”

“I could point you in the right direction, but your stars and ours do not line up,” he said softly, walking into the water.

Lauren was about to scold him for getting his shoes wet when she looked down to find him barefoot with pants rolled to his knees. “You do far more magic here than I've ever seen from you before.”

“I have not had a troublesome female to keep up with in the past,” he chuckled quietly, joining her in the stream. He returned his arm to her waist as he, too, looked up. “Asgard is there,” he said, lifting her arm and using her finger to point to a bright cluster of stars. “But too far for your telescopes to ever see. Only the Bifröst can carry one so far, or _Heimdall_ in all his nosy nature can see.”

“Heimdall?” she asked. Aware of the Guardian of the Bifröst, but having never met him, she knew very little of Heimdall.

“Hm, indeed. He is _very_ nosy, as is my brother.” Loki glared toward the heavens but said no more.

“What’s Thor got to do with anythin'?”

“Nothing, my love. I am sure by this point, Heimdall has informed the King his brother is not where he should be, and the touch of the Guardian’s eyes was upon us earlier. I made certain to _disappear_ from his poignant gaze before our time in the forest.”

Heat filled her face at the thought of some ancient Asgardian watching her and Loki together in such a manner. “Does he do that often?” she squeaked.

“He checks on me. I usually feel his eyes. Today I have been… distracted.”

Still embarrassed, she peered up at the sky and cleared her throat. “Well, I hope he keeps his peepin’ to a minimum.”

A snort of amusement from Loki broke through the stillness of the night air. “I will make sure he is made aware of your dislike of his _peeping_!” he chuckled heartily.

Lauren rolled her eyes but turned to face him. “You’re so bad.”

“Just the way you like me.”

Biting her lip, she nodded. “What do you think?” she asked quietly.

He looked around, able to see the sloped banks with their covering of soft grass, the ancient trees with their heavy branches, the shallow but wide creek which ran beneath them, and the sparkle of the stars high overhead in the obsidian sky.

“It is a magic bower, darling, very much like your Gran’s, but you seem to have your own fairy bugs to light the night. My magic is unneeded.”

He seemed a tad disappointed in his inability to show her his magic, something Lauren realized he regularly did because it amazed and delighted. Others might have considered it showing off, but for her, it was merely his way of making her happy.

“Your magic will never be unneeded.” Lauren pressed up on her toes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him beneath the stars as the fireflies danced around them, and the water rushed over their feet. She kissed him with every ounce of love in her heart, determined to make him see his worth, his worthiness. Determined to wipe every thought of being less than the others, of not being a hero, from his mind.

He was such a broken soul to her, his heart shattered and torn. It was healing, slowly, with time and forgiveness, but it wasn’t whole yet.

She was determined to see it pieced back together, every tiny shard until the self-hatred could no longer live inside him. No matter what it took, how hard she had to try, Lauren would work every day to see Loki understood how much he meant to her.

When the fireflies flickered away, their light going out as they flew off into the forest to continue on with whatever their instincts dictated they do at night, Lauren led Loki back to the bank where she shook the water from her feet and put her sandals back on. A flicker of green wrapped her ankles, drying them thoroughly before the wisps rolled into a ball of glowing light which hovered just above eye level, lighting the path through the dark woods.

Lauren took the offered hands, marvelling at his strength as he pulled her effortlessly to her feet. “It’s getting late,” she said quietly when he continued to just stand and look down at her, a host of mixed emotions in his eyes.

His hand released hers, fingers going to the tips of her hair where the locks rested on her shoulder. “Is there more to your forest you wish me to see, darling?”

She shook her head.  “This was it.” Before she could say more, he tugged her close, waved his hand, and returned them to the lawn at the front of her house. Her stomach lurched with the sudden arrival, her head spinning causing her to rest her forehead against his heart. “I little warnin’ next time,” she groaned.

Tilting her head up, Loki kissed her deeply, his tongue sliding over her lips and between them. “Breathe, my love,” he murmured.

The cool wash of his magic as it filled her lungs and slid down her throat made Lauren melt. It soothed and aroused in equal measure, settled the rocking of her stomach, but only made her head spin with all new sensations. Her skin tingled, and body ached, longing for his touch no different than earlier.

When he finally lifted his head, his fingers had tangled in her hair, and hers had clenched at his waist. “Better?” he asked quietly.

“Much,” Lauren sighed happily.

The sound of the door opening drew her attention. Lauren tried not to groan and glanced up at Loki, finding his face a mask of irritation as he glowered at her sister. “Somethin’ you need, Marabeth?”

“If you could pull yourself away from your… _fiancé_ long enough, Lauren Guillemin, mama and I want to talk to you about your responsibilities over the next few days.” Marabeth stalked inside, leaving the door ajar in her wake.

“I can go with you if you wish,” Loki offered.

She wanted to say yes but only shook her head. He made her feel strong, invincible when he was at her side, like the Valkyrie he named her, but she couldn’t keep using him as a buffer between herself and her family. It was past time she stood up or herself. She was not the same girl who’d run from home four years ago. She was a grown woman who could speak her own mind. “I’ve got this, peaches. I’ll meet you upstairs in a bit.”

Loki cupped her cheek, eyes assessing before he nodded. “Give them hell, _elskan min_. Use your legendary sass, and know if you need me, I am only a call away.”

She climbed the stairs to the door with him, made to step across the threshold and was jerked back by his hand on her wrist. Turning into his chest, she gasped when his mouth came down hard on hers, took her breath and made her moan.

When he finally released her, his eyes were dark, sultry, predatory and hot. “I believe in you, my love, and will be waiting for you in your room.” He walked away, all prowling grace and seductive swagger, leaving Lauren gripping the doorframe until her knees once again held her up.

Shaking her head to clear it, Lauren turned the opposite direction from Loki, knowing just which room her mother and the ambush would be waiting, suddenly realizing she was going in to face the lion in her den without her undergarments as Loki hadn’t bothered to replace them after he’d torn them from her.

Not needing to think about that now, she pushed it aside, girding her loins as it were to deal with her mother. She was not so foolish to think this was a meeting about the _party_. Her mother’s parties were immaculate, planned in-depth and months in advance. There would be very little which needed seeing to besides the banners and decorations that would be going up tomorrow. No, this was her family's way of speaking at her about Loki.

Striding into what was commonly called the _blue room_ thanks to the blue velvet curtains hanging from all the windows, Lauren paused at the doorway. It wasn’t just her mother and Marabeth waiting, but Samuel, her father, and _George_.

She gritted her teeth and walked across the space to the decanter on the sideboard and poured herself two fingers of scotch. She wasn’t a drinker, had rarely touched the stuff before working for Tony, but the man had excellent taste and had slowly educated her on the joys of high-quality liquor. While she preferred wine, scotch would do in a pinch. Lifting the tumbler to her lips, she grimaced at the smell and scowled at the taste. Clearly, her father was not as well educated as she’d thought. Still, she felt the need to fortify her resolve with a little liquid courage and turned to face the five pairs of eyes.

“Well?” she asked when the silence continued to hang over them all.

“You can’t marry him,” George muttered, getting to his feet.

“I can, and I will,” Lauren stated, moving to keep the large sofa between herself and George. She had no desire to get near him ever again. “I’m well past the age of majority. I’m not beholden to any of y’alls opinions anymore.”

“Lauren, hun,” Hoyt sighed when she turned harsh eyes his way. “He’s clearly dangerous, maybe even unstable.”

She snorted at that. “Just cause he’s different, daddy, don’t mean he’s _unstable_. Asgardians aren’t like us. They do things their own way, but honour and honesty are important to them. If Loki says somethin’, makes a vow or a promise,” here she glared at George, “you can bet your ass he’s gonna follow through.”

“He broke George’s arm without provocation!” Magnolia shouted.

“He was provoked! You weren’t there, mama, and if you’re gonna take _his_ ,” she pointed at George, “word over mine _again_ , then we ain’t got nothin' more to talk about.” She set the tumbler on the table with a crack.

“You’ve sure put on some airs, _Lauren_ since you’ve been in New York,” Marabeth sneered.

“No, Marabeth, it isn’t _airs_. It’s me finally standin’ up for myself! I’m not a child you can bully any longer.”

“Lauren Guillemin! Don’t you take that tone with your sister!” Magnolia snapped.

“Why shouldn’t I? It’s how she’s spoken to me for years. Why shouldn’t I give as good as she does?”

“I don’t even know who you are anymore. You run off to New York, shirk all your responsibilities, return with this _attitude_ and a demon of a man! Why I’m of half a mind to kick him from my home and forbid him to return,” Magnolia threatened.

“Now, Magnolia, don’t go makin’ any hasty declarations,” Hoyt warned.

Lauren stared down her mother, pulling herself up to her full height. It took every ounce of courage she had, every bit of bravado, her hand going to the pendant at her throat, seeking the connection with Loki even though he wasn’t with her because he made her stronger. “You make him leave, mama, and I’ll be goin’ with him.”

“You’d turn your back on the family?” Samuel gasped, finally adding a comment to this disastrous meeting.

Lauren lifted her chin. “This family turned their back on me years ago.”

“Lauren,” her father stared at her in shock.

“I’m sorry, daddy, but you and I both know its true.” Looking at George, she shook her head. “And I have _nothin_ ’ more to say to you. Why are you still here?”

“He’s my guest!” Magnolia barked.

“And I’m supposed to be family, but that doesn’t seem to matter much to you, mama.”

Marabeth, who’d made her way around the sofa, slapped Lauren swiftly across the face. “How dare you speak that way to mama!”

“Marabeth Augustine!” Hoyt bellowed, dragging her back by the arm. “That’s quite enough.”

The pendant around her throat warmed substantially before the room seemed to drop in temperature. “I’m fine!” Lauren gasped, well aware of what an angry Asgardian was capable of. “I’ll be fine,” she reiterated when the room remained cold.

Lauren turned her attention to her sister, lifted her chin again, and dropped her hand from her reddened cheek. “That is the one and only time you will ever strike me, Marabeth. You come at me again and you’ll regret it. I may not _be_ an Avenger, but that don’t mean Natasha has let me remain uneducated. I can and will protect myself, and I won’t be retaliatin’ with no open-handed slap!” The vehemence in her voice had her sister taking a step back.

“You’re no better than _he_ is!” Marabeth hissed. “A rabid dog needin’ to be put down!”

“Don’t you _ever_ speak so of my _Astvínur_ again, or I swear by the gods of Asgard you’ll be on the receivin’ end of my wrath!” Lauren snarled, stalking towards her swiftly retreating sister. “You know nothin’ about Loki! Nothin’ about what he’s been through. And if I hear so much as a peep out of you about him in the next few days, no one will stop me from layin’ you flat out, Marabeth Augustine. I’m not about to be bullied by you any longer and I sure as shit ain’t gonna let you speak badly about Loki!”

“Lauren.” Hoyt took her by the elbow, knocking her out of her anger enough to realize she’d backed Marabeth into the sofa and was looming over her, fist clenched in rage.

She looked up at her father. His eyes, so much like her own, seemed tired and withdrawn, far from the disinterested ones she remembered in her youth. They almost seemed sad, like he was suddenly faced with the reality of what his family had become.

Laying a gentle hand on his chest, Lauren fought back the tears which burned her eyes, suddenly feeling ashamed for letting her emotions ride her so hard. “I’m sorry, daddy,” she whispered.

He said nothing, just turned his face from hers.

The last piece of hope in her heart snapped with his rejection. She surveyed her family with despair and clamped hard on the tears which wanted to fall. “Loki and I will stay through the Fourth. After we’ll leave and y’all won’t have to worry about me anymore. I won’t be back.” To George who looked about to protest, she held up her hand. “I don’t want you, George. I don’t love you, I won’t marry you, and once I leave here, I’ll never think of you again.” Raking her eyes across her mother and sister, up to Samuel and back to her father, she shook her head sadly. “This house has never been my home.”

Home had been the cottage house in the woods and the arms of the elderly woman who lived there. Home was the gleaming metal tower in the heart of the city where the greatest men and women she’d ever know resided alongside her fat orange cat. Home was the arms of the man who waited for her a floor above and hallways away where she would find solace and acceptance for who she was.

This cold mausoleum filled with priceless antiques and ugly brick-a-brack had never been home.

Lauren beat a hasty retreat, needing away from the people who should have loved her but didn’t. She took the side stairs, the narrow ones once reserved for the servants, needing to put distance between herself and her _family_. She was heading swiftly down the hall when a small voice called out to her.

“Aunt Lauren?”

Stumbling to a stop, she swiped viciously at the tears on her cheeks before turning with a smile on her face. “Sara! Look how big you’ve gotten!”

The little girl with the blonde braids blushed prettily, her smile showing a gap right in the front. She darted forward as Lauren knelt, diving into Lauren’s embrace. The scent of her bath clung to her hair and Lauren breathed it in, rubbing the back of her white nightgown with its brown teddy bears patterned across it.

“I missed you so much, Aunt Lauren!” Sara whispered against her throat.

“What’s with this Aunt Lauren stuff, sugar cube? What happened to Aunt Lu?” she asked, hugging the seven-year-old like her very life depended on it. If she left, walked out and away from her family, she would never have this again. Never see Sara or little Benjamin again. What had she been thinking?

As if on cue the boy of six toddled out of the same room, his blue jammies had her sobbing out a laugh for they were patterned with Steve’s shield.

“Mama said we was to call you Aunt Lauren. She said Aunt Lu was wrong, not proper.”

She could hear the pout in Sara’s voice and drew the girl back by her shoulders to look into her sad blue eyes. “You can call me whatever you wish, sugar cube. Y’all call me Lu, I’m fine with it.”

“Aunt Lu,” Benny tugged on her sleeve, his bear tucked beneath his arm and opposite thumb in his mouth. “Where you go?”

Cupping his cheek, soft with sleep and warm still from his pillow, she sighed. “I moved away, but I’m back for a visit and I brought someone very special with me.”

“Who?” Sara asked, her eyes big with excitement.

“A very special friend from New York, but y’all will have to wait to meet him tomorrow. You two sugar cubes are up well past your bedtimes. Why isn’t Angie with you?”

Benny’s little face hardened into a deep scowl and pout. “Daddy said she was a waste of good money.”

“Mama’s supposed to tuck us in, but…” Sara shrugged. “She’s busy. Sometimes Sue Ann does it.”

“You’ve been puttin’ yourself to bed?” she whispered, horrified. They were children! They should be bathed and cuddled and read to before getting tucked in. Not ignored like this.

“Mama’s busy and Daddy goes out a lot,” Sara whispered, looking at her feet.

“Oh, baby,” Lauren drew them both in and hugged them tightly. “C’mon. I’ll do the tuck in tonight.”

“And read a story?” Benny asked hopefully.

“I think we can handle a story,” she smiled, hoping Loki would understand as she ushered them into their room. “Which one?” Lauren asked while they clamoured into one of the two twin beds.

“This one?” Sara held up a book Lauren knew well as it was one she’d sent them.

“I think we can handle that one,” she murmured, snuggling up with the children, the book with its faux fur cover tickling her skin. Once they were settled, she opened the fuzzy cover and began to read*. “There was a little fur family, warm as toast, smaller than most, in little fur coats and they lived in a warm wooden tree.”

As she read, she stroked her fingers over Sara’s braids, smiled at the way Benny snuggled closer against her chest to see better only for his eyes to droop three pages in. It took six before Sara had nodded off, but Lauren continued to read, loving the book just as much as when she’d found it the year she’d moved to New York.

The story was of a small, furry boy who went out into the world to discover its wonders and returned home at the end of the day to a pair of loving parents. It was what she’d always hoped for, was adamant would be what was given her own children, and had been what she’d hoped would happen for Sara and Benny. Evidently, history was repeating itself in this house with her niece and nephew.

“The end,” she murmured, closing the book and looking up at the star-speckled ceiling. They would glow faintly once the lights turned off, she knew, having been here to see it many times before.

“So this is where you ended up,” Loki smiled from the doorway, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. “You seem to have gotten lost on the way to our bed, darling.”

“Just a detour,” Lauren said, fighting back tears again.

“Lauren?” his face immediately filled with concern.

She shook her head, shifting carefully out from between the two siblings. When she reached to pick up Benny, Loki’s hands beat her to him.

“Let me. He’s far too big for you to be packing around.”

Blinking in surprise, Lauren watched him move Benny to his bed. It was a little awkward like Loki wasn’t quite sure whether Benny was supposed to be that limp or if he should worry about the hand that swung freely in the air as he made the transition. It was unbelievably adorable in a helpless kind of way, and she pressed her fingers to her lips to keep from giggling. She moved to assist, swallowing down her laughter, and drew the covers back while lifting Benny’s arm out of the way when Loki placed him down.

She tucked the boy in, kissed his forehead, returned to Sara and did the same before turning out the light and glancing up at the ceiling. The stars glowed their neon yellow-green, and more tears burned the backs of her eyes when she pulled their door shut behind her.

“My love?” Loki asked, gathering her close as she burst into tears.

“I said I wasn’t comin’ back! Told them after the Fourth I was done with this family, but… how could I forget about Sara and Benny?” she sobbed, clinging to Loki.

He swept her up into his arms, cradled her close to his chest, and stalked with her down the twisting halls to her room. There he shut the door with deceptive gentleness and settled to the sofa with her in his lap. He took her by the chin and tilted her face up.

She watched his eyes harden as he tenderly touched her cheek.

“Your sister left a mark.”

The gruffness of his voice made her tremble. “Her ring. I felt it connect. Thank you for lettin’ me deal with them.” Coolness washed over her cheekbone and the mildly annoying throbbing faded away.

“Is the hitting of one’s family a regular occurrence in this house?” he asked. The quietness and softness of his question did nothing to hide the core of rage he was doing his best to control.

“No. No, Loki. She’s never done nothin’ like that before. It’s always words with Marabeth.” Laure looked curiously at him. “You weren’t there, but you know what happened. How?”

“I have excellent hearing and this.” He tapped her pendant gently. “Protective magic. It tells me when you need me, my sweet.”

She closed her hand around it, sighing softly as she tucked her head beneath his chin. “What do I do? I can’t cut ties with my family. Those kids need someone who’ll just love ‘em, not expect them to be perfect.”

“We still have a few days, love. Things can change in that period,” he murmured against her hair.

“I love those kids,” she whispered. “If I couldn’t seem them anymore… I’d just… it would break my heart.” More tears fell to wet his collar as she worried over what her angry words may have wrought.

“I did enjoy when you laid into your sister. Hearing you call me your _Astvínur…_ simply _undid me_ ,” he crooned, a tremor racing through him shook her as well.

A quiet whimper left her lips. “They don’t know you like I do. They don’t love you like I do,” she sighed, a yawn catching her unaware.

“I think you need to go to bed, my love. The day has been… trying.”

“You ain’t kiddin’,” she muttered, eyes fluttering closed. “I feel as if I’ve been ridden hard and put up wet.”

He chuckled softly, his hand stroking over her hair and trailing down, the touch of his magic cool on her flesh as it washed over her. “I believe that is a reference I understood if it pertains to horses like it should.”

“Mm,” she hummed, nodding, enjoying the gentle touch of his fingers as they skimmed her throat, down between her breasts, over her belly and along her thigh. It took a moment more to feel the flutter of fabric around her thighs, and the brush of his fingertips over her bare arms. Cracking her eyes open, Lauren glanced down at herself and laughed softly. “I can change my own clothes.”

“It is more fun this way,” Loki murmured, leaning down to place a kiss at the ‘v’ of her neckline.

The thin strapped, light and airy nightgown covered her breasts in green satin, white lace edging the cups. The skirt of the gown pooled in her lap would likely be quite short, and when she shifted, half of it slid open to reveal her stomach. The idea of Loki knowing what a _babydoll_ was made her smirk. “Just what kinds of magazines are you lookin’ at back at the tower?”

“I believe Natasha left it out to embarrass the Captain. Something called Victoria’s Secret, though how it can be a secret when she blatantly advertises herself in such a fashion is a mystery. Still, I simply found it… _enlightening_ ,” he chuckled, fingers sliding over her flesh. They stilled when another yawn caught her by surprise. “Let’s put you to bed, darling.”

“Only if you join me,” she sighed, eyes drooping no different than Benny or Sara’s had.

He held her lovingly against him and got to his feet while his magic saw his attire changing to nothing more than soft pants in silky black. His strides across the room where slow, measured, as more magic flickered out, turning the bed from her childhood one, to one the likes of which he must have had on Asgard.

It was big, wide enough for four people, and covered in satin sheets in golds and greens. When he kneeled up onto it, it held his weight easily, cradled Lauren gently, and welcomed him when he laid at her side, hand settling on her belly, lightly tracing his mark.

Lauren sighed and turned into him, her hands finally coming in contact with far more skin than ever before. His flesh was as soft as the sheets but with a core of iron beneath. “Thank you,” she whispered, pressing her nose to his skin.

“For what, sweet Lauren?” he asked, closing his arms around her.

“Everythin’,” she sighed as sleep claimed her. “Everythin’.”

 

*(Little Fur Family by Margaret Wise Brown remains to this day one of my all-time favourite children's books)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing, violence, talk of abusive relationship

 

* * *

Sleep was not something he needed with regularity, not like the humans of Midgard, so as Lauren slept curled against him, her body warm and soft, Loki simply lay content to hold her close and keep her safe. This was not what he’d expected coming home with her would be like.

Her mother was a harsh woman, he knew, had known from the call he’d been privy to, but the rest, all of them, made him ridiculously angry.

He had not felt such burning rage and hatred toward another since the day he’d been informed of Frigga’s death. The all-consuming _need_ to plunge a dagger through the heart of the Dark Elf who’d killed her had set him raging, destroying his cell and everything inside it. When Thor had offered him the chance to avenge her murder, he had been most inclined to assist; as well as escape his cell.

He did not know what happened here, but something stunk of deceit. There was evil on the air, the scent of trickery and contrivance. As the God of Mischief, it was impossible to hide the fact from him. Someone was up to something, and his instincts _screamed_ George’s name.

Kissing the crown of Lauren’s head, Loki shifted out from beneath her, making sure to tuck the sheets around her when she sighed and rolled to her belly.

Her hair was a waterfall of golden wheat over her back, her lashes long and dark resting on her cheeks. Sleek muscles moved beneath her skin, her night clothes dark against her pale flesh.

He ran his fingers through her hair, remaining knelt at her side for a few moments, imagining what it would be like to create many more of the garments from the pages of Natasha’s magazine. There were ones with lace and thin straps, appearing like cages, or the corsets which laced up the back, lifting the breasts and narrowing the waist.

He could envision her in gowns of silk, tiny straps barely holding the fabric to her frame, the silk so thin it clung to her breasts, revealing her pert nipples. It would be nothing, no barrier at all to his mouth. The silk would grow wet from the laving of his tongue, disappearing completely until it felt as if he sucked on her directly.

A rumbled growl of pleasure escaped him, his hand slowly closing in her hair as his body stirred to life. The loose pants he had donned for her sake did nothing to disguise his desire when they tented in the front. His usual sleep attire was none at all, but his innocent Lauren was not there yet, nor did he think he could keep himself from taking her should he find himself naked in her bed.

He was halfway through fulfilling his promise with two days left before the party in which she would wear the stunning dress of Sadie’s. He would have her then, make her his in full. Claim that which he’d waited so long for. “ _Elskan min,”_ he murmured, slowly releasing her hair and shifting away before he did something foolish.

He waved his hand and dressed as the god he was, still preferring his Asgardian garb to that of Midgard. He may cater to the sensibilities of others, but it didn't necessarily mean he liked it. Wandering the halls of the tower dressed in black leather, overcoat flowing around his legs, tended to have the team eyeing him sideways, wondering what he was up to.

He did it occasionally just to watch them sweat.

He slipped from the bedroom, setting wards on the doors to see Lauren remained undisturbed and vanished to move about without being seen. Though the house was quiet, people were still awake, and he made his way toward the first of the voices.

Samuel and Marabeth were arguing in hushed tones.

He slipped through the open door, settled into a chair near it, and watched the drama unfold.

“You’re such a coward,” Marabeth sneered, dragging the edges of her too tight robe around her.

“Because I refused to step between you and your sister?” Samuel snorted. “I told you before, I don’t care about your spat with her. Your jealousy of her ain’t my problem.”

“I’m _not_ jealous of Lauren!” she scoffed.

He arched a brow, took the glasses from his face to clean on his shirt, Samuel gave her a sly smirk. “Lyin’ to yourself now, _dear_? How disappointin’.”

She flew across the room, her hand raised in anger, but he only caught her by the wrist.

“Do not think I will stand for that, _wife_. I am not your sister to simply take the slap.” He threw her hand away from him before walking toward the door.

“Where are you goin'?” she demanded, striding after him.

“Out,” Samuel muttered.

“To fuck your _floozy_?” she sneered.

He paused beside Loki’s invisible form to glare down at Marabeth with something akin to disgust. “Considerin’ how _you_ have let yourself go since you had those brats you insisted upon, I have been forced to seek my relief from other sources.”

“You know I had to have the little bastards to please mama,” she huffed.

“Yes, well, at least your mother managed to retain her shape after havin’ three children. Somethin’ you clearly are incapable of.” Samuel turned up his nose and walked out.

Loki sneered silently after him. Like he was one to talk with his protruding gut.

Stomping across the room, Marabeth jerked the top from the decanter in the corner and poured a hearty swallow she threw back without hesitation. Her hand clenched around the crystal before she threw it at the wall with a snarl. 

Loki stood slowly, having seen enough. There was madness in Marabeth’s eyes, something he associated with mayhem and murder. Things were not well in her marriage if this conversation was any indication.

And the children, the ones Lauren loved with her whole heart, were not even wanted by their parents.

He knew that feeling all too well, having been abandoned by his own, but he at least had found a home with people who did care for him. These two were living in a situation where they could not help but be aware of their lack of value to the people around them.

While he wasn’t overly fond of the small ankle biters, children tending to be rather dirty and loud, he was not averse to having his own one day. The idea of watching Lauren grow round with his babe, it stirred longings to life inside him he hadn’t known were there. Finding her with the two cuddle up against her had been heart stopping the desire hit him so hard.

To find her sister did not even want them, appeared to care very little for them, had him contemplating what it would take to see they were removed from this home and placed in Lauren’s care. Dark thoughts of accidents in which both Samuel and Marabeth perished in flames and screeching metal as their car impacted something solid rose up, but he immediately banished them, no matter how tempting.

Should Lauren ever discover he’d had a hand in offing her sibling, she would despise him for eternity. She did not have a vindictive bone in her body. No matter how her sister continued to hate and hurt her, she would never forgive him if he took matters into his own hands in such a way.

Deciding it was something he needed to think on, possibly ask questions of someone better versed in the working of Midgardian laws than he, Loki moved silently down the halls to where George’s quiet voice was heard.

His door was shut tight, but Loki only waved a hand, shifting smoothly into the darkened room. Curtains closed, the only light on was the one on the stand beside the bed, though George was cast in the glow of a laptop screen, his clothing discarded down to dark boxers.

“Babe, look, I’m tryin’, but she ain’t havin’ none of me,” he murmured quietly, causing Loki to frown as he moved around the room to see just who Montgomery was speaking with.

“Well, try harder,” the woman on the screen whined. She was scantily clad, her choice of attire quite - what was the word Clint used? – Ah yes, _trashy_. Her dull brown hair was curled and teased high, her makeup heavy including orangey-red lips which smacked together as she chewed and popped her gum.

This was the woman George had chosen over Lauren? His contempt of the man kept growing. Curling his lip back in disgust, Loki leaned against the wall to watch.

“I can’t _force_ her to marry me, Darlene! It don’t work that way,” he huffed, rolling his eyes.

“Well, we need the money, George, what with yer little one on the way and our other troubles.” She shifted enough to have her garments falling open.

Loki arched his brow at her protruding belly. 

“I’m workin’ on it, babe, but she came back with this snooty attitude and some fancy fella from New York. Tonight she walked out on the family, said she ain’t never comin’ back. Not much point in weddin’ her if she’s gonna end up on the outs with Magnolia. That old bitch’s got such a death grip on the family fortune.” He shook his head.

“You weren’t gonna be gettin’ access to that fortune anyway, right? I thought it was the crazy old biddy’s money you was after?”

Loki’s interest instantly sharpened for they could only be speaking of Ellie, Lauren’s grandmother.

“Shit! Y’all should see the money that woman’s got stashed. She lives like a hermit, crazy old witch, but damn, babe, she’s rollin’ in it,” George confirmed with a smirk.

Darlene rolled to her back and kicked her feet at the ceiling. “I’m so glad your daddy is too stupid to notice you’ve been goin’ through the accounts. You’d a never known about all that dough otherwise. You sure _Lulu_ will inherit?”

“Damn sure. Who else would the old bitch give it to? Cissy’s a mean cunt. Marabeth, too. Ellie hates Magnolia, and Hoyt’s already got Jasper’s money. Nah, Ellie will leave it all to Lauren.”

Intrigued, Loki wondered at that. It had not appeared as if Ellie were well off, but, if he understood anything about this strange land he’d been thrown into, it seemed wealth begot wealth. Those who were rich married others of the same fortune. It would make sense for Jasper Annandale to court the young Ellie if she were not only beautiful but from a better family as well. However, the stealing of one’s fortune from an elder would not be overlooked. Especially as this was Lauren’s gran.

“Well,” Darlene cooed, rolling toward the camera, allowing for a generous view of her cleavage, “I do wish you’d get on with it.”

A quiet knock at the door had George pressing a finger to his lips. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

Brow arching, Loki could hardly believe this turn of events.

“Gotta go,” George hissed at the screen.

Darlene grinned. “All else fails, you could always take pictures and blackmail the old lady into payin’ you off,” she snickered.

George smirked and shut the screen of his laptop. “It’s open,” he called out, placing the laptop on the nightstand.

Even knowing it was her, Loki couldn’t help but be shocked when Lauren’s mother sauntered through the door, a seductive smile on her face in a robe of deep blue.

“Hey, baby,” she simpered.

“Magnolia, darlin’. I thought Hoyt was home tonight?”

She swayed her hips as she moved closer to the bed Montgomery was laying on. The tie on her robe came loose under her fingers, revealing a negligee in the same dark blue.

Passing a critical eye over her, Loki could have snorted his contempt. She was a poor second to his Lauren though, clearly, she couldn’t see it. Quite frankly she disgusted him. Here she was, supposed to be Lauren’s mother, seducing what should have been Lauren’s husband.

It made him wonder how long _this_ had been going on. Had Magnolia been sleeping with Montgomery when he’d been courting Lauren? Was this, then, why George had been so disinclined to be with her?

He’d said he hadn’t found her attractive when she was younger, but Loki found that hard to believe. He’d seen the pictures and found Lauren both beautiful and adorable.

No. Likely George was merely a gutter snake of the worst kind.

Still, Loki didn’t leave his place on the wall. Both were about to be seriously unhappy in the next few moments, and he had no plans to miss the upcoming show.

“Hoyt went to the club. He won’t be back for hours, and even then, ain’t like he’s gonna come crawl in my bed lookin’ for me,” Magnolia smirked, crawling up the mattress between Montgomery’s spread legs.

George grinned slyly, reaching out to touch her when Magnolia’s hands slipped over his boxers. “Well, ain’t I lucky, gettin’ to have a gorgeous woman all to myself.”

Magnolia giggled, actually giggled, and had Loki rolling his eyes in disgust. Had the woman no shame? His attention shifted to George. Had the man no technique? Freya’s tits, he had never seen a male _paw_ at a woman with such lacklustre skill.

No wonder Lauren had been disappointed.

After a few minutes of sloppy kissing and desperate groping in which he watched George grow more and more frustrated, Magnolia finally sat back to glare down at him. “Just _what_ is the problem, Georgie?”

 _Georgie?_ Loki barely contained his bark of amusement.

Embarrassment flooded George’s face, turning it red, almost puce really. “I-I…” he stuttered. “I, uh, had a few glasses of whiskey, thinkin’ I was sleepin’ alone tonight, so… yeah.”

Her face fell. “Oh, well. Ain’t that a shame,” Magnolia pouted.

“I can still, you known,” he reached beneath her, rubbing between her thighs. “If ya want,” he offered like the _consummate_ gentleman he was pretending to be.

“Oh, would you?” Magnolia asked, voice pleading.

George smirked, urging her up to straddle his face, pulling the barely-there lace out of his way.

Loki wandered toward the desk with the papers upon it, ignoring the sounds coming from the bed. This too, he knew, would not last long thanks to the curse he’d cast, but he had no desire to watch the two of them together. 

Spread across the desk were financial statements, both Ellie’s and Montgomery’s. He knew enough from his own bank records, something he was required to keep now that he used Midgardian currency, to read these and found them enlightening.

It seemed George was in quite a bit of debt. There were far more zeros on the end of his statement than Loki had ever seen. When he checked the ones for Ellie, he found her substantial fortune would not only wipe out Montgomery’s debt but see them living comfortably for quite a few years.

No wonder he was after Lauren’s inheritance, but what had been the plan here? Ellie was spry, her health, while declining, was still good. It was unlikely George would want to wait for her to pass naturally for Lauren to gain her fortune.

Confused, he tugged the phone from his pocket and sent off a short text to Barnes, the only one he knew would be awake at this time of night. _How does one go about gaining an inheritance from someone who is still living?_ Making sure it was on the vibration mode, he slipped it back in his pocket.

And once married to Lauren, how did George expect to bring his mistress home? Lauren may not be as vocal as some of her family, but he had heard the lash of her tongue often enough to know she would not stand for such disloyalty in her husband. How was George to go about having two women? It made no sense to him.

When the growl of displeasure came from behind him, Loki smirked happily and turned to watch gleefully.

“What _is_ your problem, Georgie?” Magnolia huffed, clearly frustrated.

He shoved her away before wiping his mouth. “I ain’t got no problem, Magnolia!”

“Evidently you do,” she scoffed, getting off the bed in a flurry of fluttering fabric. “Can’t get it up and can’t seem to figure out how to please a woman. You used to be so much better at this.”

George ground his teeth together, likely to keep from saying something he shouldn’t to her. “Well I’m tired, darlin’, it happens. Add in all this shit with Lauren, and I ain’t exactly in the mood to eat out her mother.”

She flushed red, anger blazing in her eyes. “That’s it, isn’t it? You find her more attractive than me?”

He shook his head, but Loki could scent the lie in it.

“She ain’t nothin’ compared to you, Magnolia. You know how I feel about you. I’m doin’ this so we can be together, all the time.” He got up, followed her to the door where he pressed her against it and kissed her soundly. “You know I only have eyes for you. Even back then, four years ago, all I could think about was your pretty tits and sweet cunt.”

Face twisting in disgust, Loki reached for the phone buzzing against his hip.

_Depends. You can ask for it, or you could off them and take it. Why?_

Bucky’s answer had Loki growing cold. Was this it? Was that what he’d planned to do? _Kill_ Ellie? Stage an accident so Lauren would inherit?

Rage washed through him, turning him cold, deadly cold. When he glanced to his hands, Loki noted the humanity he wore had fallen away, his true nature and blue skin on full display. Still, he held himself in check, waiting for the snivelling, slobbering male to finish placating Lauren’s mother while punching out a reply to Barnes of, _Just curious._ He did not need Bucky asking questions he was in no mood to answer.

“Oh my,” Magnolia whispered.

“Another night I’ll fuck you good and hard, the way you need, but not tonight,” he crooned, grasping her ass, rubbing his thigh between her legs.

Too bad George was doomed to be disappointed or to _be_ a disappointment with Loki’s lovely curse. The man would remain sexually frustrated, as would his partners, for a very, _very_ long time.

 ****“Fine,” she whined, clearly disappointed. “But you owe me, Georgie.”

He opened his door and slapped her ass on the way out. Shutting it with a relieved exhale, George looked down at _little_ George in exasperation. “Really?”

“Is it a regular thing you do, this speaking to your manhood?” Loki asked, revealing himself and flicking a finger at the door. Everything iced over, effectively sealing them in.

Fear erupted on his face as George backpedalled, falling over his feet when he scrambled for distance. “How in the fuck? How long you been there!?”

“Long enough.” Loki pushed from the desk he sauntered forward, stalking the man with deadly intent coated in calm. The room, again, was quite large, allowing Loki to take a seat on a small sofa while George scrambled to put pants on. “Let me explain to you what is about to happen.”

“You can't do nothin’ to me without endin’ up gettin’ kicked outta here,” the idiot human scoffed.

Tsking softly, Loki pulled his favourite dagger out of the air and proceeded to clean his nails with the tip. “I'm afraid _you_ are the one who can do nothing for you see,” magic shimmered in the air around him, turning him into George, “it would be _effotless_ to see you disappear from this realm, then take your leave of this house and never be seen again. No one would suspect me of foul play as I would simply stand to the side,” here he flicked his fingers, an avatar of himself shimmering to life, arms crossed and scowling, “and wish you good riddance.”

Loki let the magic dissipate, pleased with the fear which had paled George's face. “You are quite a despicable human. I will not allow you to take advantage of my _Ástvinur’s_ family, heinous though they may be, and I will certainly not allow you to lay hands on Lady Ellie.”

George snorted his contempt.

Loki sent the dagger across the room, embedding it deeply in the wall beside George’s head. The man jerking out of the way. “She is a woman worthy of respect, and you will show it or feel my wrath a second time!” Rising from the settee, Loki prowled forward to jerk the blade free. “Your plan will not work. You will never succeed in taking Lauren from me. Therefore you will never gain access to Ellie’s fortune.”

His eyes widened in shock. “How did you…?”

“It took minimal effort to figure out your ruse. You are up against a _God,_ after all, and one who has forgotten more of mischief and malice than you shall ever learn.” Turning on him, Loki let his magic swell.

The room fell into darkness, the furniture and all within the space disappearing, leaving only Loki and George, the later cowering before his might as Loki allowed the humanity in him to fall away and his frost giant nature to come to the forefront. Blue of skin and red of eye, he towered over the man before him. “Speak, mortal. Speak the truth, and I will not kill you where you stand. What were your plans for Lady Ellie?”

George gaped at him, his face a mask of terror. “Mon-monster!”

Smiling though the word was a hated one, Loki refused to let it affect him at this moment and reached out to pass a finger lightly down George’s bare chest. The skin burned and George screamed in pain.

“Yes, so I have been told, but if I must be a monster to protect what I love, so be it. Speak, _human_ ,” he snarled.

“It was all Darlene’s idea!” George gasped, recoiling as far as he could. “We need the money!”

“Mmh, for the babe. I saw, but why not use your own funds?” Was Montgomery not also from a wealthy family?

“My father cut me off when I broke the engagement with Lauren and left with Darlene. There weren’t nothing he could do about my trust fund, but when it ran out, Momma said the only way I could come back was if I did right by the family, and if I left Darlene.”

“So you fabricated this _farce_? All for _money_?”

He nodded slowly. “Darlene likes those crime shows. She said it would be easy. Come home. Grovel a little. Go back to work for my father. It was then I found out about the old woman’s money. I was gonna marry Lauren to get access to the Annandale fortune, but Ellie’s was better. Lauren’s gonna get it all.”

“And just how far would you have gone? Would you have killed Lady Ellie to gain that access? It is highly unlikely she would have simply handed it over, even should Lauren ask.”

George looked away with a shrug. “Old people fall all the time.”

His hand was around George’s throat, and the man was dangling from his fist in the air before Loki had time to think about it, barely managing to contain his nature to keep from freezing the air from the bastard’s lungs. “And Lauren? Would you have killed her, too? Would you have taken the life of my _Ástvinur,_ all in the name of _money_!?” he bellowed.

George gasped and scratched at Loki’s hand and arm. “Clean… out… accounts and… disappear.”

The tip of Loki’s dagger tapped none too gently against George’s chest, slicing open tiny cuts which just barely beaded blood. “Now, you will simply… _go._ I will allow you to stay till morning at which point you will thank your hosts _graciously_ before taking your leave. If you do not, or if you dare speak of our _discussion_ this eve, you will disappear without a trace. Your child will grow up a bastard, never knowing his father, and you will die, slowly, _painfully_ , in the realm of my choosing.” He released the hold he had on George, the man’s face an interesting shade of purple. George fell to his knees beside the bed, and the light returned to the room.

“You don’t,” George coughed, “understand! I need the money. I owe dangerous people!”

Loki sneered down at him. “Because you are a fool. Even on Asgard, we have people such as you. Those who spend frivolously, or indulge a greedy woman. Those who gamble beyond their good sense. But you are _never_ at fault, are you, Montgomery? It’s always poor luck, or your woman made you, drove you to it. You can’t take responsibility for your own mistakes.”

“Like you did?” he wheezed, glaring at Loki with extreme hatred. “You’re nothin’ but a monster and a murderer. How many people did you kill with your actions in New York? How many _millions_ of people have you hurt?”

Loki refused to be goaded into a reaction. “Unlike you, I have taken responsibility for what my actions wrought. I work to fix them every day, and do not run from them or make them someone else’s problem as you have done here.” Still, staring down at the man, he could see the desperation and the fear. “You are a fool, Montgomery, but I can be benevolent when I wish.” Rolling his wrist, a small pouch appeared in his hand which he upended on the man’s bed. Five coins of solid gold, as well as three precious stones, tinkled when they landed. “It is a small fortune, enough, likely, to placate those who wish you ill. Take it. Leave. Never return, for I promise you, if you so much as _look_ my Lauren’s direction at any time in the future, I will kill you. Have we a deal?”

The greed in George’s eyes disgusted him, but when the man nodded his agreement, Loki grunted his approval, turned on his heel, and made for the door. At it, he hesitated while the ice melted away. “Be warned, human, you have bound yourself to a contract with a God. Break it at your peril.”

He shut the door quietly behind him and made his way back to Lauren’s room. Now, if only dealing with the rest of the people in this house would be so easy. Still, he would feel less on edge once George was no longer here. He would not put it past the man to try something nefarious.

Loki was quick to vanish from sight when Cissy came into view. She was standing hunched over, appearing to be trying to break into Lauren’s room, growing more frustrated with each passing second. He had no idea what her plan was, but he wasn’t about to let Cissy think she could succeed in sneaking into Lauren’s room. Gritting his teeth, angry and mentally exhausted with this family, he slipped between rooms, changed his attire back to what it had been, and jerked the door inward.

Cissy fell through to land on the floor with a shriek, waking Lauren who sat up with a yelp.

“Loki?” she called, hair a mess and eyes hazy.

“Apologies, darling. I heard a noise at the door which turned out to be your sister.” He looked coldly down at Cissy. “Something you need, Ms. Annandale?”

She picked herself off the floor, dusting off her knees. When her eyes lifted, caught on Loki's dishevelled appearance, they nearly bugged from her head. “Oh my,” she breathed, hand reaching for his chest.

Loki sauntered away, returning to the far side of the bed where he slid in behind Lauren, his arms going around her waist and lips falling to her throat.

“C-Cissy?” Lauren gasped, sleep colouring her voice.

“Oh, I, well you see, I broke my heel on my shoe while I was out tonight and just stumbled right on into y’all’s door,” Cissy said, blinking at the bed. “Did you redecorate or somethin’, Lauren?”

Quivering against him, clearly enjoying the stroking of his lips over her shoulder, Lauren tilted her head to the side to make it easier. “Loki did.”

A pout appeared on Cissy’s face. “How nice for you.”

Loki slipped his hand from Lauren’s stomach up between her breasts to rest against her chest in a clearly possessive act. “As it is late, you’ll understand if I ask you to shut the door on your way out, Ms. Annandale.”

Jealousy flared in her eyes, Cissy's gaze locked on his stroking fingers before they turned flirtatious and fluttered with her smile when she returned them to his. “Seein’ as how we’re nearly family, Loki, it would be completely acceptable for you to call me Cissy.”

“Goodnight, Ms. Annandale.” He drew Lauren back and encouraged her down so she was laid out beneath him in an unmistakable position. “Seeing as how we are both awake, my sweet….” he smiled suggestively, grin growing wicked when the door slammed. “She is just too easy.”

Lauren pressed her hands to her mouth to muffle her giggles. “She’s not used to bein’ ignored.”

“Then she will learn for I see no one but you, my heart.” Loki kissed her softly.

Stretching her arms up, Lauren sighed as she wrapped them around him. “I missed you.”

His brow arched. “Was I gone?” he teased.

“It got warm in here so I know you were, peaches.” Her sleepy eyes blinked up at him, the green a soft sage.

“I took a short walk.” And learned a host of interesting things. Brushing her hair back, Loki lightly traced her cheek. “You were asleep when I returned.”

“Dozin’,” she murmured, hands sliding down his back, already drifting, her lids fluttering as she fought to stay awake.

He chuckled softly and settled carefully to the bed, curling into her back when she shifted to her side. His fingers delved into the opening of her nightwear, drifted up, and cupped her breast.

“Mmh,” she hummed contentedly. “S’nice.”

Kissing her shoulder, he cuddled her close. “Go back to sleep, _elskan mín_.”

“Stay?”

“I promise, darling. I am not going anywhere.” He tucked his nose into her hair, flicked a finger to lock the door, and allowed himself to fall asleep when she did.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Dre ( @this-kitty-has-claws ) has started calling it Smangst (smut + angst = smangst) so there is Smangst and lots of it, NSFW 18+, swearing

 

* * *

Loki woke when a gentle breeze ghosted across his face, ruffling his hair. Still, he took a moment before opening his eyes, senses reaching out, checking for danger, the breeze an oddity in what was supposed to be a closed room.

The second thing he noticed was he was alone in the bed, Lauren’s space having cooled of her body heat. Frowning, disliking waking without her, and really disliking she'd done it without him realizing, he opened his eyes to glare at the ceiling when movement near the balcony doors drew his attention.

Lauren was back to doing her yoga. White pants, white top, hair curling slightly around her face and shoulders, loose instead of in her regular tail of hair. She looked sleek, like a flexible feline, stretching her fingertips to the sky. A mat the same colour as the rising sun, a vibrant orange, protected her bare feet from the wood planks of the balcony, and her hands when she bent at the waist to press them to the floor.

Perhaps waking alone would not be so bad if he could wake to the vision of her in such a pose each morning. Shifting position slowly so as not to inform her he was awake, Loki curled an arm around his pillow, resting his chin upon it so as not to miss a moment.

Her breath was so still, so calm. Her movements just as controlled. She was grace in motion, poetry, so beautiful she would give the most skillful dancers of Asgard something to strive for. Today, unlike previously, her top bared her midriff, allowing him to see the flex and stretch of the muscles in her torso, the strength of her arms, the length of her legs.

Watching her twist, turn, and stretch was highly pleasing and incredibly stimulating, forcing him to stifle a groan when she bent in an inverted ‘v,’ thrusting her ass into the air.

He was far closer to her than last time he’d watched. This time he could hear her breathe, the slow inhale and exhale when she changed position.

With her hands planted, her foot swept up, making her an upside down ‘y.’

Loki wondered if she could shape her body into each letter of the alphabet, or only certain ones.

She switched legs, stretching her toes high, before the tightening of her core, the sharp inhalation of air and sudden clench of her abdominals caused an answering clench in his own. Slowly the foot on the ground lifted to join the one in the air, her knee bent, foot settling on her thigh as the other curled over to rest against the back of her head.

_Freya’s tits!_

There was nothing he wanted more at that moment than to take his palm, run it along the sharp curve of her ribs, and press his lips to the golden serpents surrounding her dimple of a belly button. Then, as he helped her steady, he’d run his nose up to nuzzle against her clothed core until she begged for mercy.

Loki shifted to his elbow and called quietly, trying not to startle her, “Lauren, love, come back to bed.” The light behind her was low yet, the sun barely above the horizon. There was no real reason for her to be out of his bed at this hour.

She startled anyway, a blush colouring her cheeks when she whipped her head his direction. Her feet hit the floor, and she stood swiftly, her arms wrapping around her midsection. “Sorry, did I wake you?”

Peering at the protective way she held herself, Loki wondered how she could still be so shy. “The breeze, darling, not you. You were quiet as a mouse.” Stripping the sheets back, he rose from the bed to stalk across the room.

Her eyes trailed down his torso, making him smile at the blossoming heat in her gaze. He may not be the beefed-up specimen of his brother, the mass of muscle coming from swinging both sword and hammer, but he was by no means _skinny_.

She was standing between the two open doors, and he brought his arm up to lean against the door frame, flexing the muscles of his chest and core in the process. Lifting the opposite, he carded his fingers through the hair hanging loose on her shoulder. “It really does curl.” Touching her cheek, he tipped her chin up until her eyes lifted to his. “Why do you hide from me, _elskan min_?”

She glanced away, sighed, brought her eyes back to his. “The only people who’ve never teased me about my yoga are you, Gran, and Sadie. Mama thinks it's a waste of time, Marabeth called me a carney, sayin’ I should run off and join the circus if I was gonna keep doin’ foolish things like stand on my hands, and Cissy said if I had to work that hard to stay in shape then I should just give up.”

Dropping his hand to her waist, he drew her body to his. “Your family has no right to judge you, my heart. They are not perfect, far from it in fact.”

Lauren pressed her hands to his chest, the pads of her fingertips and nails digging in just slightly. “What do you mean?”

He brought his hand down from the doorframe and tangled his fingers in her hair. With a sigh, he wondered if, perhaps, he shouldn’t have said anything. “You must be certain you wish to know what happens in this home, my love. It is not pleasant, and once you are made aware, you may wish you had not been.”

She bit her lip, a tremor shaking her slightly. “How bad is it?”

“It is… unpleasant,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb over her hip.

“Tell me,” she whispered, eyes wide with fear.

He sighed and drew her away from the door, flicking out his hand to have them closing effortlessly. Her mat rolled up and rested inside the room. Loki led her to sit on the edge of the bed, bringing her beneath the protection of his arm. Her head landed on his shoulder when he tugged her legs across his lap. “Your eldest sister and her husband, their marriage is… failing.”

Lauren relaxed slightly. “It wasn’t as if they married for love or anythin’. It was arranged, no different than mine with George, but I at least thought they were… content with each other.”

“It appears your brother-in-law has a mistress.”

“Oh,” she said quietly. “Poor Marabeth.”

Her pity surprised him. It wasn't as if he thought she would be gleeful of her sister's strife, but he hadn't thought it would fill her with sorrow. “She seems more angry than upset.”

Lauren sighed. “She would be.”

“She is jealous of you.”

“Bullshit!” she barked, pulling sharply back to stare at him in shock.

“So Samuel accused her of.”

“Whatever for?” she muttered, looking completely confused.

Brow arching, he blinked down at her before cupping her chin and tugging at her lower lip with his thumb. “Possibly because you are stunningly beautiful, sweet, kind, talented and draw people to you like honey mead draws Thor.”

She chuckled softly. “He does enjoy his drink.”

“Hm.” He tilted his head in agreement. “There is much about you she could envy.”

“Still, at one time I was nothin’ more than a gangly, knock-kneed, bucktoothed kid. What could she possibly have been jealous of?” she asked her expression earnest, setting Loki gaping at her.

“Darling, you were a beautiful child! How could you ever think otherwise?” He shook his head, answering his own question. “Your sisters. They made you believe such a thing.”

She looked away, a new blush filling her face. “You hear somethin’ enough times… you start to believe it,” she whispered.

Loki laid Lauren back into the silky sheets. “How many times will I have to tell you, you are beautiful before you believe it?” he asked, setting his hand firmly on her bare ribcage.

“Loki, I…”

He shushed her gently. “No, no, my heart. You are the most beautiful,” he dropped his head to place a kiss to the left of her pendant. “The most desirable.” With a quick heave, he lifted himself to hover above her and trace his fingertips down her sleek belly. “The sexiest.” He pushed back to place another kiss below the edge of her white cropped top. “Sweetest.” Another fell beside her mark. “Hottest woman,” he murmured, skimming his lips down until he could drag his tongue along the waist of her tight white pants. “I have ever known. And I am a _God_ , beloved. My opinion is _much_ more important than theirs.”

She whimpered a soft sound of pleasure, the blush on her cheeks darkening. Heavy-lidded emerald eyes watched him from behind thick lashes while she moistened her parted lips with her tongue.

A quiet sound, somewhere between a purr and groan escaped his chest as he crawled his way back up her sleek body. There was doubt, still, in her eyes, doubt placed there by the family who had so attacked her last night. He despised that look, the hair on the back of his neck rising like the hackles of his wolf. He had been kind with them up to this point but no more. They had hurt his one, his darling, his love. There would be no mercy for them should they try to do so again.

He lowered his body over hers, gave her his weight, nearly humming when the bare skin of his torso came in contact with hers. “What has happened to my Valkyrie? Where has she flown? What must I do to bring my Goddess of Mischief back?” he murmured, peering down at her with a teasing smile.

Her hands delved into his hair, giving it a slight tug. “Kiss me,” she whispered.

“And that will bring her back?” he teased, lowering his head, causing the tips of his hair to brush over her cheeks.

“Kiss me and find out,” she quipped.

He chuckled and brushed his nose over the side of hers, lips parted, waiting for his mouth. Again he teased, “There she is,” before taking her lips in a kiss laced with heat.

Her hand skimmed down his back as he ate at her mouth, wallowed in the sweet flavour of her lips, sending a shimmer of need down his spine. Nails dug in, scratched gently, sent streaks of desire straight to his loins. The body he’d barely gotten back under control betrayed him, setting him flexing his hips into the warmth between her thighs.

Lauren moaned into his mouth. Her hips thrust up, a heel hooked the back of his thigh.

Loki reached back and drew her leg up till it wrapped around his waist. He traced the back of it with his fingertips and gripped her buttock firmly. The stretchy pants she wore gave her such incredible flexibility, he was beginning to think she should always wear them. Nipping her lip, he released her mouth to focus on the beat of her pulse in her throat, sucking gently, making her squirm.

“Loki,” she moaned, hand clenching in his hair. “Are you tryin’ to distract me?”

“Is it working?” he smirked against her throat, jerking his hips into hers in a short burst of movement.

Lauren gasped and threw her head back. “Maybe a little.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No, but yes?” she said, sounding disappointed.

He sighed and rolled to the side where he could lay staring up at the ceiling, doing nothing to disguise the raging erection she’d given him barely contained by his pants.

She lay panting softly at his side before turning into him, crossing her arms over his chest and setting her chin upon them. “Tell me what you’re hidin’, peaches. Marabeth and Samuel can’t be the worst of it.”

He set his hand on her back, lightly tracing his fingers up and down her spine. “It appears your former beau is in a spot of trouble.”

“What kind?”

He glanced to her face, to the eyes drifting back to teal. “His mistress is with child, and he seems to be in financial difficulty.”

Her mouth fell open, eyes widening in shock before anger filled her face. “That son’ bitch! Why I’m of half a mind to march right on up to his door and kick his no good hide from this house!”

Loki tightened his arm when she tried to leave his side. “I took care of it.”

She froze, tension radiating from her muscles. “Took care of it… how?”

“He’s not _dead_ , darling,” Loki scoffed, glaring at the ceiling.

The gentle caress of her hand on his cheek had him turning his gaze back to hers to find her smile sad. “I know that, peaches. It didn’t even cross my mind. I just don’t want you gettin’ in trouble from Steve or Tony for doin’ somethin’... _tricky_.”

Guilt filled him for doubting her. “My love… I-”

Her fingers landed on his lips. “It’s okay, hun. I get that’s where most people’s minds would have gone. You don’t need to apologize.”

“You are not most people, Lauren. As you have faith in me, I should have had the same trust in you.” He took and kissed her palm.

“Tell me what you found out. I should’a known my tricky god would skulk his way through the house and discover everyone’s dirty secrets,” she teased, doing her best to lighten the moment.

“I still do not _skulk_ , but yes,” he grinned wickedly, “after you slept the scent of treachery was so strong, the feel of it laden in the air, it drew me in.” Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply, the memory shuddering through him.

“The way you look right now is kinda how I feel about cookies,” she snickered softly. “Doesn’t matter where or when you smell ‘em, you just have to find them and eat at least one.”

Peering up at her cheeky face, Loki murmured, “Are you teasing me?”

“Maybe,” she drawled.

“Minx,” he chuckled, sliding his fingertips up her spine again.

Quivering a little, her eyes darkening with the enjoyment of his touch, she traced hers over his chest just as slowly. “So, he knocked up Darlene, did he?”

“That was her name. What a garish woman,” he grimaced in distaste.

“You saw her?”

“She was on the… _Skype_ thing,” he flicked a dismissive hand, already deciding he would explain to a point, but not all. He would not tell her of George’s plan to stage her Gran’s death. It would not occur, now, so distressing her in such a manner would be pointless. Nor did he think she needed to know of her mother’s disgusting behaviour. “He was to wed you to gain access to the Annandale fortune. Then, once he’d drained what money he could, he would have vanished.”

“That no good, lily-livered, two-faced… _pot licker_!” she hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. “I suppose they blew through his trust fund already, but still! If he needed money, he should have the balls to ask his own family!”

“He was disinherited, or so I was led to believe. He had to _‘make it right’_ with the family and leave his bit of fluff before they would allow him to come home.”

She snickered softly at _bit of fluff_. “Still, to steal from my family. How despicable. How rude!”

“Incredibly rude,” he teased, quite enjoying her suddenly deeper accent and ruffled feathers.

“I’m feelin’ quite vindictive at the moment, Loki. Did you at the very least scare the tar outta him?”

“He was thoroughly chastised by the time I finished with him, darling. I assure you. He will be leaving this morning, _without_ informing anyone of our discussion, and not returning… if he knows what is good for him.” A dark promise waited for him should George break his word, their agreement, or return here.

“Did you threaten him with a knife again?” she asked, openly curious.

“Would it please you if I had?” he asked, chuckling when her smile grew smug. “And if I did so as my true self, in my Jotun form, would that also please you?”

A pout suddenly appeared on her face.

“What is that adorable look for?” he asked, cupping her cheek and running his thumb over the plump flesh.

“I’ve never seen your Jotun form.” She sounded exactly like a child denied a sweet.

It made him laugh quite loudly and pull her down for a kiss. “You are far too precious for words, my heart.”

Lauren fluttered her lashes, maintaining the pretty pout. “So?”

“So what?” he teased.

“Will you show me, oh merciful God of Mischief, oh benevolent one, oh prince of Asgard, your Jotun form?” Somehow, even though she was horizontal against him, she still managed to duck her head as if in reverence, though the light in her eyes was anything but subservient.

“And what if I show you and you dislike it, my sweet? What if you can never look at me the same way again?” Though he said it with an air of teasing, a nonchalance few would see beneath, he instantly knew she’d read far deeper beneath his words to the worry he’d buried within his heart.

Lauren shifted to straddle the long line of his torso - a most pleasing position in his opinion - and let her hands rest over his heart. “Nothin’ that makes you, you will ever scare me, Loki. Nothin’. Show me, please? Or if not now, one day?”

“Lauren…” He looked up at her, but the understanding just undid him. Slowly the glamour fell away to reveal the blue of his true nature, the red of his eyes, the ridges upon his cheeks and brows, and the scars upon his chest.

“Loki!” she gasped, her fingers touching the flat white lines with tenderness. “What? How?”

“They’re nothing, not important,” he murmured, looking away.

“No,” she said, her hand landing lightly on his cheek, turning his face back to hers, her thumb rubbing over the raised ridges of flesh on his skin. “You don’t get to dismiss this as _nothin’_ when it’s clearly not. What happened?”

He cupped her hand in his but looked away from her too sharp eyes. “Let’s just say my agreement to aid the Chitauri was not something which happened… right away.”

“What?” she breathed.

“When I fell from the Bifröst, I knew I was taking a risk, one which ended… badly. The Chitauri knew of what the humans called the Tesseract, but they needed someone to assist them in obtaining it.” Lifting her from him, Loki rolled away, and sat with his back to her, unable to face his chosen with the weight of his guilt and betrayal suddenly laid bare. “Everything I’d done, betraying Thor, believing myself betrayed by Odin, trying to kill Thor and nearly succeeding, all of it had been to do what Odin hadn’t, to make him proud, to show him I was worthy. To kill the very people from whom I came. I was a monster then, and I became a worse one when the Chitauri got their hands on me.”

“Loki.” Lauren’s hands settled on his shoulders, skimmed down his back, over more scars when he stood to his feet and pulled farther from her.

“I resisted at first. How could I not? The turmoil in my heart for what I’d done already… the pain I caused...” He shook his head. “But the torturers of the Chitauri are quite… persuasive. Eventually, I just wanted to do it. Wanted to escape the pain. Wanted it all to end. Wanted someone else to suffer instead of me. I guess… it drove me a little mad, maybe more than a little. From there, it was easy to convince myself the human race would benefit from a benevolent ruler, after all,” he glanced at her over his shoulder, heart breaking from the look of shock and horror on her face, “you will always kneel.”

Unable to face her at this moment, his soul stripped and laid bare, Loki walked away into the adjoining bathroom and shut the door. He turned on the shower as searingly hot as he could stand, shucked his pants, and stepped beneath it.

He couldn’t scrub away his sins, but he was damn sure going to try. If once he finished, she could no longer stand to look at him, he would do what he could to keep her safe from her family, then return her to the Tower when the time came and beg his brother to let him come home.

***

Lauren pressed her palm to her mouth to stifle the sob wanting to escape.

Did they know? Any of them? Did Thor? Had Loki ever shown anyone before her what it had cost him, what he’d put himself through before the battle for New York?

The shower came on, and she shook, bringing up the other hand to muffle her scream. Fire seeming to burn a path down her throat with how hard she fought back her tears.

The look on his face, his beautiful blue face, had been crushing. Devastating. Did he expect her to walk away? To be disgusted with him now? To find something about him worth despising?

Lauren hastily wiped her face, scooted off the big bed, and walked to the bathroom door. Hand resting on the knob, she shored up her courage and stepped inside.

Already it was full of steam, muting the view. Loki was back to his regular appearance as he stood, head bowed, hand keeping him upright against the wall. The glass shower hid nothing but the steam clouded the vision, leaving him shrouded in mist and mystery. The clenched fist at his side lifted, fingers uncurling to pinch the bridge of his nose. With his hair hanging in his face, growing wet and dripping, it appeared he hadn’t yet realized she was there.

Gliding silently across the tiles, she stepped in behind him. The temperature of the water was so hot, she had no idea how he wasn’t scalding himself. She leaned against him, choosing to simply set her hands on his back while placing kisses on the now invisible scar, the big white one that had run the length of his spine.

His whole body shuddered.

“Loki, love, the water’s rather hot, hun.”

He reached for the tap, and the scalding heat became soft warmth. “Lauren.”

Her name upon his lips was choked like it was snaking its way past a large lump. She wrapped him up tight, slipped her hands over his stomach, and pressed her palms against flesh which heaved and jumped as he tried to control his breathing. Her forehead dropped to his back, the water now running over them both.

“Lauren,” he sighed, hand settling over hers.

“You’re not a monster,” she whispered, nuzzling her nose against his spine. “Not a monster. Never a monster.” Like him, she wondered how many times she would have to say it until he believed it. Could she ever say it enough?

It felt as if the vision of his back was seared into her brain, the heavy interlacing of scars, ones she knew could have only come from being whipped over and over and over again until flesh tore from bone, set her tears flowing with the water. Each mark felt ingrained, the terror and pain he must have suffered made her shake as she pressed her lips to another scar, and another, and another, until she’d nearly covered his back in kisses. With each kiss, she whispered _not a monster_ hoping with all her heart he could hear her over the harshness of her breathing.

The heavy ripple around her throat was enough to make her gasp and Loki’s head to whip up from where it had remained bowed.

He broke her hold in an instant, turning swiftly to stare in clear wonder down at the pendant he hesitated to touch. “ _Elskan min,”_ he whispered, fingers skimming the chain which suddenly felt heavier.

Lauren reached for it herself and startled for what had once been chain seemed to have become something more like… branches. “Loki?” she asked, frowning only to nearly die of fright when he dropped to his knees before her in the shower. His arms wrapped around her thighs to hold her tight while his cheek rubbed over her belly.

“For you… for you… _I would kneel_ ,” he whispered hoarsely, eyes of green and blue peering up at her.

She cupped his cheeks and shook her head. “That’s just the thing, peaches. No one needs to kneel. There ain’t nothin’ you could do, or say, or show me that would make me love you less. I don’t care if you wear this skin, or scarred blue flesh. I love you, Loki, just as you are, flaws and all. You don’t have to be strong with me at every turn, _elskan min_ , you’re allowed to have fears and vulnerabilities. I won’t ever judge you for them.”

He chuckled quietly, almost as if he were exasperated with her, and rested his forehead against her belly. He shook it slowly back and forth. “At every turn, you astound me, my heart.”

Stroking her fingers through his wet hair, Lauren smiled. “So, I shouldn’t tell you I thought your Jotun self was sexy?”

His brow arched as he lifted his head, blue skin swiftly replacing the pale flesh of before. “Oh, really?”

“The ice blue of it is beautiful, and these,” she ran her finger over the half-moon ridges on his forehead, the stripes along his cheekbones, the ones on his chin. They matched the ones on his chest and forearms. “Were you born with them?”

“I would assume so, there are quite a few of them.” His eyes turned sultry, and she could guess where else he may be _marked_ by such ridges.

“Oh my,” she whispered, blushing.

Loki smiled down at her and pushed up to his feet. “Are you wondering naughty things, darling?”

She shrugged, unwilling to admit to such lecherous thoughts.

“Should I… _show you_ where else I bear marks, my heart?” he asked softly, seizing her wrist and bringing it to his abdomen.

Lost to the spell of his eyes, the red like rubies, Lauren could only nod as he used her palm to draw circles on his abs. It skated the edge of his iliac furrow, grazed the top of his groin, then darted to the side to rub firmly over his thigh.

“Loki!” she huffed when he laughed.

“You really were thinking naughty thoughts! I like it,” he crooned.

“You’re such a tease!” she huffed.

“Me? I am not the one still clothed standing in _my_ shower.” He made a sound very near a purr when his eyes travelled downward. “Not that your clothing is doing you much good.”

She glanced down, realized her top was quite see-through, and _eepped_ in shock for the white was doing little but highlighting her assets. Then her eyes drifted to near where her palm was pressed against skin rapidly shifting back to flesh coloured and widened. “Oh my stars!” she squeaked, face turning bright red as she jerked her gaze away.

Even in his half aroused state he was far larger than George had ever been.

“Still so shy,” he teased, refusing to release her hand from his thigh. “Where is the woman who pulled me into the barn to have her way with me? Or the one who played with a wolf only last night?”

Lauren shivered at the heat blooming in her belly. The challenge in his eyes sparked the competitive streak she was only just discovering. She stepped into him, his brow arched, but she only smiled her own wicked grin and took her free hand over his chest. “She’s right here, _elskan min._ ” Leaning forward, she licked the water from his skin.

“Darling, you are-” His words cut off with a gasp when her hand escaped his grasp to wrap around his cock.

She smiled as she leaned into him, the hand on his chest wrapping behind his neck. “You were sayin’ somethin’, darlin’?”

“Was I?” he groaned, grasping her hips.

“Mm,” she snickered, “guess not.” Lifting her face, she kissed him sweetly, all the while stroking over him, rolling her wrist and twisting gently, a little amazed by his size once fully erect. He just kept growing in the palm of her hand, and she realized the estimate she thought she'd taken last night had been _so_ very wrong. It was a silly thought, but she did wonder how he'd fit when the time came.

A soft growl accompanied a thrust of his hips. A snap of finger followed, and she found herself as naked as him when her clothing landed with a wet plop at her feet. She gasped in excitement, her breasts now pressed fully against his chest. Lauren moaned when his fingers skimmed up, and his thumb brushed the side of her breast.

“Darling, if you don't stop,” he groaned again, almost as if her touch pained him.

“Don't want to stop,” she moaned turning her body to give him access to her chest. “Dreamed of this, of touchin’ you last night. Of takin’ you to Valhalla,” licking at his skin, she crooned, “with my mouth.”

“Fuck,” whispered from his lips. He cupped her breast and tugged firmly on her nipple.

The pleasure of his skilled fingers made her legs quake. Lauren tilted her face up to find his eyes deep blue and full of lust. “For you.... I would kneel,” she whispered.

“Flames of Valhalla, woman! You will be the death of me!” His eyes blazed green, magic mixing with mist to swirl over her skin.

“Loki!” she cried her body suddenly on fire.

His hands gripped her bottom, lifting her effortlessly to sit up on a shelf which hadn't existed moments ago. “Again you tempt me, always tempt me, to break my oath, but not yet. I want you, darling, but my plans will not be changed nor rushed. Your touch inflames me. The idea of your mouth,” he shuddered, muscles flexing, fingers clenching to either side of her hips, “on me in such a way… I would take you in a _heartbeat_.”

She stilled her hand, but his swiftly latched over hers around his cock, tightened down, and returned it to stroking over him with substantially more strength causing him to gasp and look at her like the wolf again.

“Finish it,” he groaned. “My love, _please_.”

With her hand still on the back of his neck, she pulled him closer till his nose brushed hers and parted lips skated together.

Panting breath, heaving chest, Loki continued to assist with her stroking of his cock. Dragging her thumb over his tip, she murmured against his lips, “ _Elskin min_ , let go. Let me take you high. Seek Valhalla. My Prince, my God of Mischief....” She opened her eyes to find his glowing behind his lowered lashes. “I love you.”

His eyes closed seconds before he jerked against her hand. Again his face filled with bliss, the flush on his cheeks the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Warmth erupted over her fist, but she was too invested in watching his face to care. The sound he made, part growl, part moan, part sigh of relief made her womb clench deliciously.

Her lips parted on a soft whimper when his eyes opened and seemed to pin her to the wall. They shone green with his magic. “Loki,” she sighed.

He brought her hand beneath the spray of the water and washed the evidence away before drawing it up to join the other at the back of his neck. “You quite amaze me, my sweet. At every turn you allow your heart to lead. To know I hold it for you… brings me to my knees you honour me so.” He placed a kiss on her cheek, soft and gentle.

It caused a small whimper to pass her lips. “Loki… no,” she murmured, but his finger came down on her lips.

“Yes, you’re everything I don’t deserve but have always wanted.” Replacing his finger with his lips, he kissed her slowly, thoroughly, deeply, and pressed her thighs apart.

Strong hands stroked up her wet skin, the spray from the shower over his back raining droplets of water over her. He massaged the muscle gently, working his thumbs ever higher while his mouth dropped lower. Lips and teeth sucked and nipped at her throat, making Lauren’s head spin at the sensations pouring through her body. Heat and fire walked her skin, lightning flooded her veins.

For a god who was made of ice, his hands seemed dipped in lava.

When his mouth fell to her breast, and his hand rubbed between her thighs, Lauren buried her fingers in his hair and cried out for the sheer marvel of his touch.

“So slick, my heart. So wet,” he sighed sweeping his tongue over her chest, catching water droplets as he switched sides. His fingers pressed down and in, the parting made easy by how aroused she was.

Holding him to her, Lauren shuddered when his teeth tugged her nipple. The slow thrust and retreat of his fingers, the gentle rub of his thumb, was causing the ache in her core to grow, the coil in her belly to tighten most amazingly. She moaned a wanton sound, one Lauren hadn’t even known she could make.

It made Loki chuckle softly and nip her skin. “Such a naughty girl. Do you like that, my love?”

She hummed out an affirmative sound, unable to find the words.

He pulled his fingers from her, making her groan in disappointment. Another sultry chuckle filled her ears as he brought his fingers to his mouth and swiped his tongue over them. “Like honeyed cream with a hint of tartness, how fitting,” he crooned before sucking them clean.

The clench of her belly made her grunt with how sexy he looked. “Loki, _please_ ,” she whispered.

“My precious darling,” he smiled, kissing her deeply, slipping his tongue into her mouth and allowing her to taste herself.

It made her blush, the deviant nature of it and how much she enjoyed it.

“For you, Lauren, I willingly kneel.” With his eyes locked to hers, Loki lowered to his knees, kissing her between the breasts, her mark, and her inner thigh before licking his way up it.

“I- I’ve never…” she gasped when he set his teeth into her thigh.

His brow arched over magic laced eyes, smile wicked and filled with excitement. “Another first, my heart?” He watched her as he leaned forward, nose brushing through golden curls.

“Oh my stars!” she squeaked, jerking her gaze away, heat flaring in her face.

“Look at me, pet,” he commanded.

It was impossible to deny the tone he used, and her eyes slipped back to his though the heat in her face simply burned hotter.

“Do not look away.”

Nodding slowly, Lauren quivered in anticipation even as she blushed with embarrassment, feeling laid bare, exposed so completely to him. The flicker of green swirling through the steam registered at the corner of her eye, but she couldn’t look away from him to figure out what he was up to with his magic.

Eyes on hers, he pressed his tongue to her core, slicked it up her damp lips and flicked over the hard bud of her clit.

“Holy _fuck_!” she squealed, fingers clenching in his hair with the pleasure of such an action.

Loki placed a soft kiss on her curls. “Might I continue, pet?”

“You’d better,” she muttered, unable to blush any hotter than she already was.

Laughing wholeheartedly, Loki continued to watch her watch him as he used elegant, tapered fingers to spread her open. Lips plucked and pulled, sucked gently. The constant stroking of his tongue up her folds to flick over her bundle of nerves, the humming of his voice, the sinful sounds of sucking and the growl he gave every time her belly would clench was the most wanton thing she’d ever participated in, and Lauren was in heaven.

Wisps of magic suddenly whispered over her skin, wrapped around her nipples and pulled, feeling like two more mouths working her overstimulated flesh.

With a high pitched moan she jerked on Loki’s hair, the coil in her womb so tight she could hardly breathe as her head fell back against the wall and she rocked into his face. “Oh, god, Loki! _Please_!” she screamed, voice echoing off the tiles.

The thrust of his tongue into her sheath, the rough pull on her breasts and the snarl which came from between her thighs had a second shriek escaping her throat as fire flooded her veins, her walls clenched and pulsed, setting her reeling, gasping, crying out at the power of her release. Legs shaking, Lauren moaned deeply as darkness edged her vision.

When the roaring in her ears from her pounding heart finally subsided, she gasped a ragged breath, and became aware of the strong arms wrapped around her hips and the rumble of sound, like a content cat, from between her thighs. Then, warm and wet, his tongue stroked up her core again, and Lauren made an embarrassing sound somewhere between a mewl and a yelp. “Loki!”

“Just checking, darling,” he chuckled. “You seemed to… lose hold of your senses for a moment. I was simply returning you to them.” His chin was wet, his smile as smug as ever, but his eyes, the beautiful bright blue, were soft with love and affection, and not a little pride. 

Giving his hair a gentle tug, she encouraged him back to his feet. “Gran had it right when she called you Mr. Mischief. You’re some trouble.”

“Just the way you like me, my sweet,” he quipped, scooping her from the shelf. He dragged her back into the shower’s spray.

“Ah!” she laughed, sputtering when the water hit her face. “Are you tryin’ to drown me?”

“Never, but seeing as how we are both already here, we may as well conserve water.”

His eyes sparkled with mischief, and she couldn’t help but smile. Wet, completely naked, and pretty much plastered to him, Lauren reached for the soap. “Wash my back?” The smile he gave her sent a renewed frisson of heat down her spine.

“And everything else, darling.”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: smexy, swearing, angst and heartbreak

 

* * *

Lauren stared at the change in the pendant around her neck with awe. Towel wrapped tightly around her, she touched the web of intricately laced branches which now rested where once the delicate chain had. It was only about an inch wide, maybe two where the branches fell to a point beneath the pendant, surrounding it as if to highlight the golden rectangle. It was exquisite, like nothing she’d ever seen before, but she wasn’t so foolish not to realize there was more going on here than a simple gift.

“Loki, explain this to me?” She tapped it gently with her nail.

He appeared behind her in the mirror, chest bare, towel riding low at his waist. The smile he wore was simply sinful as was the look in his eyes when he peered at her through the glass. Tapered fingers landed ever so gently on the delicate gold filigree, tracing the design with care.

“Isn’t it stunning?” he asked, stroking his fingers up her throat to cup and lift her chin.

His touch made her shiver most delightfully. “It’s gorgeous, but why is it different?”  

Even though he’d followed through on his comment to wash _everything_ , he’d been… mostly a gentleman about it. His soaping of her back, belly, and chest might have been a pleasant experience, but it had just been a washing, one which she’d returned in kind, washing both their hair as well.

It had been fun, actually, to do something like that for him, especially when she’d scrubbed her nails lightly over his scalp and he’d darn near purred with pleasure.

“Because,” he murmured, lightly kissing her cheek, keeping his eyes on hers in the mirror. “You are my _Ástvinur_ , my chosen. As we learn and grow together, as our bond grows stronger the more you accept me for who I am, so does the _brúðr steinn_.”

“ _Brúðr steinn_ ,” she murmured, touching the pendant. “Sounds fancy.”

“Very fancy,” he whispered against her ear.

The heat in his eyes had her lips parting on a sigh. “Loki.” She watched, enthralled as he ran his teeth over the shell of her ear.

“That’s _four_ , my darling,” he crooned against her before slowly pulling away, allowing his finger to trail down her neck and over her bare shoulder.

Lauren picked up her brush with a shaking hand and began running it through her hair, hoping to regain some semblance of composure only to have him return to her back and steal the brush from her fingers to do it himself.

“Seeing as how you have enticed me out of bed at this unseemly hour, I think you should make it up to me.”

Arching a brow, she ignored the heat in her face when she muttered, “After the last twenty minutes, you’re gonna whine about gettin’ up early?”

He paused in his brushing to look at her with eyes full of censure. “An act we could have easily accomplished had you _remained_ in my bed.”

She tilted her chin up defiantly. “You’re short-term memory is goin’, peaches. You’re the one who flounced off into the shower.”

“I do not _flounce_!” he scoffed. With a narrowing of eyes, he dug his fingers in along her ribs and made her squeal. “Oh, ticklish are we?”

“Loki, no!” she laughed when he did it again. “Stop! Stop! Noooo- aha!” Grabbing hold of her slipping towel, she darted out the door with him hot on her heels.

It came as little surprise when strong arms banded her waist, scooped her up off her feet and tossed her to the bed, causing her breath to _oof_ out before being replaced by gasps and giggles as he attacked her ribs with a vengeance. She belted out a peal of laughter as she tried to keep her towel in place, pushing at him to stop. “Stop!!”

Crouched over her, Loki snickered as he captured both her hands into one of his and held them above her head. “Admit I do not _flounce,_ and I may grant you mercy.”

She bit her lip to hold in her giggles. “Fine, you don’t flounce.”

“Very good.” He smiled triumphantly.

“But you do skulk!”

“Why you little…” he growled softly, skating his hand down her ribs.

“Ah haha!” she screamed, twisting to get away, only to finally have her towel come free. “Big bully!” she pouted when he stopped, eyes full of appreciation for her half-naked form.

“Poor baby,” he chuckled, skimming his hand up her bare flesh to caress her exposed breast. “Should I kiss it better?”

Lauren bit her lip while nodding.

The way his eyes went from sky blue to deep oceans as they warmed was enchanting.

Her eyes dropped to his lips, waiting for him to lower them to hers. She sighed and tilted her face up, the anticipation half the fun when his nose brushed gently along the tip of hers, and his breath washed across her lips.

He settled slowly to the bed, his body at her side, arm stretched out to keep hers contained. The softest touch of his lips made hers tingle. They brushed, a whisper, brushed again, brushed and made her whimper a quiet plea.

When they finally sealed to hers, she moaned, arching up, loving the shock of heat which rapid fired through her system with his kiss, with his closeness. Lauren hooked her heel behind his knee and tugged until his weight half pressed her to the mattress. But it was his mouth she focused on.

The silky glide of his tongue against hers. The way he seemed to be able to twist it in the most impossible way. He flicked it over her teeth, discovering every corner of her mouth. He moaned, deeply, and the coolness of his voice along with the magic which lived inside him washed down her throat making her shiver.

The release of her hands saw them flying up to sink into his damp locks as she kissed him unendingly, catching a breath when he let her only to have him dive back in until her lips felt swollen, and the hand on her breast wandered down her side to jack her thigh up around his waist.

His hand was making its way over her ribcage again when a loud growl came from her stomach.

“Oh!” Jumping at the unexpected noise, Lauren flushed with embarrassment.

Loki groaned softly in disappointment as his head fell to her shoulder. “I forget how often you Midgardians need to eat,” he said, sounding distinctly grumpy.

“I forgot how often you don’t,” she grumbled. “C’mon, hun. I’ll make you a breakfast that will have you wantin’ to eat.”

“And just what, pray tell, are we having for breakfast, my sweet?” Loki asked, lips gliding across her cheek. “What could you possibly feed me that would make letting you up worth my while?”

Smiling, Lauren traced her nails down his back. “Mm, you’ll have to wait and see, peaches.”

Nipping at her lip, he sighed, long-suffering and full of irritation. “If I must, but you will simply _have_ to make it up to me.”

“Me? Make it up to a God? Why however, shall I accomplish such a thing when I am just a shy, fair maiden with not but pennies to my name?” She fluttered her lashes, smiling innocently up at him.

He snorted out a bark of laughter before fighting it back to give her a dark look laced with mischief. “By using your own two hands, fair maiden, to treat me as I deserve.”

“And whatever shall I be _doin'_ with my hands, oh gracious God of Mischief?” she asked, a touch breathless.

“Why, what every man desires of his woman,” he murmured softly, eyes drawing down to land on her lips. Leaning closer, his mouth a breath away from hers, Loki whispered, “Bake me a cake, woman.”

Her eyes widened in disbelief as he leapt from the bed, laughing wickedly while escaping back into the bathroom.

“You’re a horrible tease!” Lauren griped.

“But a _fantastic_ flirt!” Could be heard before the door shut tight.

***

With his chin in his hand, Loki watched Lauren move around the kitchen with an ease born of familiarity. She was at home here, cracking eggs and cutting up peaches, strawberries, and bananas. There were bowls of fresh berries on the long marble island and a cup of steaming coffee at his elbow.

She stood before the hot stove, bowl of batter in her arm, stirring gently while she waited for the pan to warm. A white t-shirt, old and thin from many washings clung to her curves, while shorts made from jeans bared the generous length of her legs.

He was having a decidedly hard time pulling his eyes away from her long limbs and colourful bare toes. The soft pink was most enticing, making him wonder if she would giggle if he nibbled upon them or if a moan would fall from her lips. Her pert bottom in those shorts wasn't helping matters either.

Drawing his eyes up, he smirked a little for her hair really did curl in the humidity already present in the early morning heat. Soft waves fell around her shoulders, caressed her cheeks, and draped down her back. She looked adorably youthful, like the girl in her Gran’s pictures.

She hummed softly while pouring batter onto the hot pan, hery smile small but happy as she did something which obviously pleased her.

Loki sipped his coffee and glanced toward the clock upon the wall, one reading just gone six-thirty, an hour he would not have been awake at without a good reason on any other day he’d chosen to sleep. Still, to watch her cook for him, just him, in a kitchen with whitewashed cabinets and marble countertops, glass front doors and gleaming steel appliances that put the kitchen of Stark’s to shame, caused his heart to clench at the domesticity of it all. 

He could get used to this.

He set his coffee down with a quiet click of porcelain on marble. “Whatever was your sister trying last night with her action? I cannot figure out her motivation for breaking into your room as she was.”

She placed the bowl down beside the stove and took up a utensil to flip the first round of pancakes. A slight sigh escaped her as the smile fell from her lips, and Loki regretted asking. “The belt.”

“Excuse me?” he asked, stiffening in shock.

“The one you made me. It wouldn’t be the first time Cissy took what wasn’t hers cause she wanted it.” Moving toward the big double door fridge, she opened it and took out a small silver bowl filled with cream she’d previously whipped up into frothy peaks.

He stared at her aghast. “She _steals_ from you as well?”

“Borrows, hun. Only she conveniently forgets about returnin’ what she's _borrowed_ ,” Lauren muttered, putting the bowl on the counter near the berries before ducking down to open a cabinet and remove a small canister which she placed near the bowl. “That’s how Cissy explains it at least. At which point I get, _Lauren Guillemin, why can't you just let Cissy have_ whatever _this one time?_ ”

“Lauren,” he sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face, unable to believe the audacity and how it was compounded by what was evidently her mother.

“There’s a reason I only brought one bag. I’ve had things disappear before when I brought them home with me. Considerin’ I could smell the booze on her last night from across the room, ain’t surprised she _fell_ against the door.” She shrugged, dismissing it. “She’s doomed to disappointment anyway.”

That Cissy was. The belt and the outfit he’d created for Lauren no longer existed. He could bring it back should she wish it, but he was really beginning to despise this family.

Flipping the pancakes onto a waiting plate, Lauren poured more batter into the pan and turned toward the island where she began spooning fruit over the hotcakes. The canister was opened and a sieve obtained to shake the fine powdered sugar over the plate. Dollops of the whipped cream were added next before she drizzled a smattering of honey over the entire thing.

Lauren set the plate in front of him with a smirk and nudged a fork his direction. “Eat.”

He eyed both her and the plate before arching a skeptical brow. “I have had pancakes on numerous occasions, my sweet. How is this any different?”

She scooped a bit of cream up with her finger, a dab with a drizzle of honey on it and held it out. “You ain't never had pancakes till you've had ‘em with fresh cream and wildflower honey.”

Loki watched her face as he took her by the wrist and brought her finger to his lips, swirled his tongue around the tip, and placed it into his mouth where he sucked it clean with a sensual purr of pleasure. “Delicious. Especially off your skin.”

She gave a slow blink, a sly smile, and leaned closer to kiss him only to suck his lip into her mouth. “It's even better off yours, peaches,” she murmured, flicking her tongue over his lip. “Eat.”

“There's something I'd like to eat,” he muttered, setting her laughing and blushing as she returned to the stove.

When he dug in, Loki had to bite back a moan of pleasure for her meal was just delicious. As he ate, he again watched her move with ease around the kitchen.

Before the pancakes, she’d mixed a large bowl of batter, poured it in pans, and placed them in the oven. The entire kitchen smelled of spiced cake, mouthwateringly scrumptious. She returned to the fridge, took a block of something - the box reading _cream cheese -_ from it and set it on the counter. The oven was checked, and she flipped her own pancakes before turning her attention back to him.

Collecting a piece of peach on the end of his fork, he held it out to her temptingly. She walked toward him, a sway in her hips, leaned over the counter and opened her mouth.

Pulling the fork back, Loki tsked, “Closer, pet.”

Lauren skirted the counter and stepped forward. “Here?” she asked, smiling.

Turning toward her on his stool, Loki slipped his foot between hers, caught her around the waist, and pulled her forward to straddle his thigh. “Here,” he quipped, bringing the peach to her lips.

Her eyes danced and sparkled when she bit the peach off the tines.

While she chewed, Loki stroked his hand down her back, gently cupped her bottom, traced his fingers over the curve and down past the edge of her shorts where he could lightly caress her bare skin. “What would you have us do today, darling?”

Her fingers traced the line of buttons on his white shirt. “Anythin’ long as we’re outta this house.” 

“It has been some time since I rode. Yesterday’s adventure with your stallion reminded me of how I missed it.” Loki slipped his fingers beneath the hem of her t-shirt, dragged them gently over her skin, squeezed her ribs and brushed his thumb over the underside of her satin encased breast.

Plucking a strawberry up between her nails, Lauren brought it to his lips. “We could take the horses out. Go down to the river. We could swim and have a picnic for lunch.”

Sucking the berry from her fingers, Loki hummed happily. “Sounds delightful.”

“I think so,” she smiled, leaning down to kiss him gently, pulling away only when the scent of pancakes got stronger. She returned to the stove, clicked off the burner, dished up and prepared her own small mound of pancakes before taking the seat at his side.

Loki gave her stool a quick jerk, drawing it in close. She squeaked, grabbed for her plate, and made him snicker. A sharp glare was sent his way before she stole his coffee to sip from his cup. He slid his hand up her thigh and gave her a second jerk that saw her sitting nearly on his lap. Not an easy feat to accomplish, but he wrapped her leg behind his hips and settled his hand on her lush bottom to keep her in place.

Perched on his leg, she eyed him with amusement. “I could sit on my own stool.”

“But then how could I do this?” Stealing her fork, he speared a piece of banana, dipped it in the whipped cream and held it before her mouth.

Her lips twitched, fighting to contain her smile. “I could feed myself as well.”

“Oh?” he pouted, rubbing the edge of the banana against her lips. “Pity,” he crooned, pulling the fork away. “Feeding one’s beloved can be such a… _sensual_ experience.” Lifting his foot to the rung on her stool had her sliding down his thigh, the seam of her shorts bumping up in just the right way.

When she gasped at the sudden jolt of pleasure, he tucked the fork between her lips.

“Now, be a good girl, pet, and let me have my way.” He rocked his foot on the rung of the stool, smirking as he watched her eyes darken when the hard seam rubbed and pulled just right.

Lauren reached past him, ran her finger through the last of the cream and honey on his plate and held it before his lips. “Two can play these games, Loki.”

The mischievous light was back in her eyes. He made to lick her finger when she pulled it away and sucked it between her lips, right to the last knuckle. She moaned softly, eyes on his, as she pulled it from her pursed lips, leaving it slick with saliva.

“Flames of Valhalla, woman,” he groaned, feeling the sudden throb and tightening of his core.

“Still want to play?” she teased, leaning closer.

“So many, many games, darling,” he breathed, sinking his hand into her hair.

Her arms went around his neck, and her body softened into his. “You’ll have to teach me all of them,” she whispered against his lips.

“And invent a few just for you, my heart.” He nipped her bottom lip, making her whimper. Stroking his hand up her spine and back down, he rocked his thigh into her core as he played with her lips, kissing and coaxing, leaving teasing bites and tender kisses, contemplating how quickly he could clear the space on the counter to lift her to it.

“Hey, mama! I smell somethin’ delic- oh, shit!”

The masculine voice had Lauren jerking back, but Loki only held her tighter as he turned his head to glare at the interloping male.

“Uh, mornin’, Lafayette,” Lauren mumbled, cheeks as bright a red as the strawberries on her plate.

She pushed at his chest weakly, but Loki didn’t let her go. The man was wearing a look of embarrassment, but there was envy in his eyes when the dark brown of them connected with Loki’s blue. He knew the instant his flared green for the man dragged the hat from his head and held it twisting between his fingers.

“Miss Lauren. Sorry, I didn’t expect anyone but mama to be up cookin’ this time a day.”

This time the push was less weak and followed up with a solid fist to the chest. Grunting, more out of surprise than pain, Loki finally allowed her to escape, dropping his foot to the floor so she could slide off his thigh.

Lauren smiled at him as she did, her hand stroking over where she’d punched him in apology, one Loki accepted graciously with a tilt of his head.

“It’s good to see you, Lafayette! I missed you yesterday when I was showin’ Loki around.”

Loki watched narrowly as she hugged the large stranger.

A big man, Lafayette had the ruddy complexion of a person used to working outdoors. His sun-darkened skin and bronzed hair confirmed this as fact. Bulky muscles were encased in a t-shirt already sweat-dampened and blue jeans with dirty knees, while a red handkerchief hung from his back pocket. Though he hugged back, Lafayette didn’t touch her with his hands, keeping the dirt on them from smearing Lauren’s white shirt.

“Had to run a few errands in town for Teddy, plus pick up more party things for your mama’s shindig,” Lafayette said, pulling back and heading for the sink to wash up. “Didn’t mean to interrupt… uh… breakfast.”

It came out more a question than a statement.

Getting to his feet, Loki prowled slowly toward Lauren where he collected her fingers and brought them to his lips. “Yes… _breakfast_ ,” he smiled as he kissed her knuckles. “You should finish yours, love.” From the corner of his eye, he watched Lafayette flinch at the endearment.

“I will, but I want to introduce you first. Lafayette and I grew up together. His mama is Sue Ann.”

“Ah, the lovely woman from yesterday. She was quite charming,” he said, leading Lauren back to her stool with a gentle tug, encouraging her away from the man who clearly had feelings for her.

“Yeah, mama was full of praise for you, too.” Lafayette leaned against the island and looked him over.

“Really? How delightful.” Loki smirked at the assessing eyes and played with Lauren's hair. While the man was almost as big as Thor, there would be little contest in who would win in wits or strength. The man was quite out of his depth.

“Lafayette, meet Loki Laufeyson.” Lauren smiled up at him.

“You eat, darling. I can make my own introductions.” Loki lightly stroked his palm up her arm. The move had Lafayette’s eyes glued to his hand.

“Don’t summon the staff,” she mumbled, reaching for her fork, oblivious to the tension in the room.

“Why ever not?”

“You’d shake the china. It’s fragile,” she warned, returning to eating.

“As you wish, darling.” Loki kissed the crown of her head, keeping his eyes locked on the brown ones across from him.

Lafayette’s jaw tightened.

Chuckling softly, Loki made his way around the island and held out his hand. “As my _Ástvinur_ has said, I am Loki.”

“Lafayette.”

The large hand grasped his, squeezed in the way most men of this world would to try and intimidate a rival. It only made Loki grin. “She did leave out one thing though.” He increased the pressure of his grip ever so slightly, gaining a modicum of pleasure when Lafayette’s eyes widened.

“What’s that?” the man asked, tightening his grip as well.

He gave a slight shrug. “That I am the adopted son of Odin, brother to Thor, prince of Asgard, and the God of Mischief.”

Lafayette’s hand jerked in his. “What?”

“And one of the Avengers,” she said from behind him. “Don’t be so _modest_ , peaches.”

Glancing at her, Loki shook his head. “Are you teasing me, my sweet?”

“Who would dare?” she gasped as if shocked at the very thought.

“Troublesome woman,” he grumbled, removing his hand from the slack one of Lafayette.

“Holy… fuck,” breathed Lafayette, stunned. “I thought you looked familiar but… _sheet_!” He slapped Loki roughly on the shoulder with a wide grin. “An honest to god Avenger runnin’ round Annandale Farms! Son’ bitch! Good to meet you!”

Loki blinked, surprised by the about-face in the man’s demeanour. “Excuse me?”

He chuckled, evidently amused by Loki’s confusion. “Thought you were some high society fucker Lu brought home with her to screw with her mama.”

Lauren snorted, covering her mouth as she chewed, eyes sparkling with wicked amusement.

“Did you set me up, darling?”

“Maybe, little,” she smirked, continuing to eat. “Kinda got both of you in one. A double set up. Natasha would be proud.”

“The Captain would be horrified at your deviousness, but Barnes would be quite amused.” Loki shook his head and returned to her side.

“Shit, Lu. Still can’t believe you know the Avengers,” Lafayette muttered, helping himself to the coffee.

The timer on the stove buzzed, but when she made to go to it, Loki pressed down on her shoulders. “Sit.”

“The cake.”

“I have it.” Flicking his finger, Loki moved the cake from the oven to the racks on the counter, turning the oven off in the process.

Lafayette jumped, sloshing coffee over his hand and hissing at the burn. “Fuck me!” Shaking off the liquid, he wiped his hand on his jeans.

“I see your mouth ain’t improved a lick,” Lauren snickered. “Don’t let your mama catch you using that language, or she’ll wash it out with soap.”

“Can you blame me? Damn, Lu! He just… and the cake just… and y’all are just sittin’ there all pleased as punch!”

Lauren smiled. “Takes a little gettin’ used to, but then I’ve had the time.” Her hand drifted up to rest against her pendant, hidden by the neck of her t-shirt.

Sitting beside her, Loki nudged her cheek with his nose, kissing the enticing line of her jaw. “That you have, my love.” Hand settling on her thigh, he rubbed circles with his thumb.

The clicking of heels on hardwood coming at a rapid pace had Lauren stiffening. “Yeti.” She tilted her head to the side, and Lafayette scooted around the corner into what Lauren had termed the butler’s pantry.

Arching a brow, Loki squeezed Lauren’s thigh.

“Mama. She and Yeti don’t get on. He’s a bit... brash for mama’s sensibilities,” she snickered, “It’s better if they just avoid each other. She puts up with him cause Sue Ann’s the best cook in the county. Plus he’s got a knack with the gardens no one can compete with.” She shrugged, dismissing it.

Loki hummed his understanding as Magnolia burst into the kitchen, robe flapping and hair in disarray, day-old makeup beneath her eyes, and a piece of paper clutched in her hand.

“Lauren! Have you seen George?” she asked, breathless.

Lauren shook her head. “No, mama. Why?”

“This!” Magnolia shook her fist with the paper in it. “This was left on his bed this mornin’!” Stalking forward on heels which had fluffy toes, she thrust the paper at Lauren, dismissing him altogether.

“Good morning, Magnolia,” Loki smirked, forcing her attention from her daughter. “How your beauty _astounds_ me, transcending from night to day in such a way.” The choked sound from the pantry would be heard by none but him, though clearly, his words amused Lafayette.

“Oh, well, yes.” She patted down her hair and closed her robe. “Thank you, uh, Loki. I do apologize for soundin’ a touch… frantic. It’s just this letter has got me all stirred up.”

“Oh?” He arched a brow, leaning to read over Lauren’s shoulder. “What a pity. Montgomery has been called away. And look, my love,” he traced his finger over the hastily written line, “it appears he has acquiesced to your wishes and will no longer seek your hand.” It wasn’t what he’d wanted the idiot male to do, but at least he was out of the house and away from his Lauren.

She tilted her head, sending him a quick smile. “As it belongs to you, Loki that was only ever goin’ to be the outcome.”

“Be still, my beating heart,” he breathed, kissing her shoulder. The shudder went unnoticed by her mother, but Loki felt the quake of her desire right to his soul.

“But that can’t be!” Magnolia wailed.

“Mama?” Lauren frowned. “Why can’t that be? George knew last night I wasn’t gonna marry him. I made that perfectly clear. Why else would he have stayed?”

Magnolia paled swiftly before an angry flush came to her face. “Why for the party of course! What other reason could there possibly be? Don’t be stupid, girl!”

Going ridged at her side, Loki glared at Magnolia when Lauren flinched at the harshness. “Yes, what _other_ reason could there possibly be for Montgomery to be in this house? To stay the night when, _clearly_ , the reason he was here was moot?”

Magnolia blinked at his vehemence, blinked again when the words sank in and stepped back quickly.  “I… I don’t have a clue what you might be talkin’ about, sir.”

“No? Hm, I thought not.” Lifting his chin, he stroked his hand down Lauren’s spine. “Well, it seems Montgomery has left us. What a shame.”

She eyed him, worry and fear on her face. “I… I guess, yes. Too bad.” Turning on her heel, she fled the room.

Shifting his attention back to Lauren, he had a moment of concern with how still she was, staring at the last of her breakfast, the note clutched tightly in her hand. “Lauren?”

She spread the note out on the counter with both hands. “Loki, I’m gonna ask a question. I need you to tell me the truth.”

“Always, my love.” Stilling the hand on her back, he brought the other down on hers.

She blew out a hard breath, inhaled deeply and asked, “Was my mother sleepin’ with George?”

Everything about her braced as if awaiting a blow, one he was seriously disinclined to give. “Darling…”

“Oh… wow,” she gasped, his non-answer answer enough. “That hurts more than I expected.” Turning from him, she bent over her knees to pant softly.

The pain tearing through her was so intense, Loki could feel it himself. “Please, love,” he whispered, lurching from his seat to gather her close when she nearly slid from the stool. Holding her as she shook, he became aware of Lafayette watching, eyes full of pity before the man slipped away.

They both ended up on the floor, Lauren sobbing into her hands, completely destroyed by her mother’s betrayal. When harsh cries eventually became soft whimpers, he gathered her into his lap. Limp and exhausted, she turned her face into his throat.

“How long?” she whispered.

He sighed while rubbing her back. “I can’t say with certainty.”

“Hazard a guess, Loki.”

The harshness of her voice nearly made him flinch. “If not the beginning, likely near it.”

“Was this what you were hidin’?”

He closed his eyes and held her tight, wishing with all his heart this was not happening, that her family were not these wretched people. He wished almost desperately for Frigga to be alive. For her to meet and mother his Lauren. To fuss and coddle the woman who was his heart. “I’m sorry, _elskan min_. I’m so sorry.”

Fresh tears soaked the collar of his shirt.

A few minutes later, when the pounding of her heart was not nearly so strong, Lauren pushed back from him, but her head remained bowed, her hair falling down to hide her face. “Why?” she finally asked, lifting her head to look toward the ceiling. “ _Why_?”

He cupped her face, bringing her eyes to his while he wiped at her tears. He’d never seen her so sad, so heartbroken, and twice in less than twenty-four hours she had cried like her soul was crushed over these people. “I don’t know, darling. I don’t know why people are this way. I don’t know why they do these things. I don’t know why they hurt you.” He drew her in until her forehead rested against his, and her fingers wrapped around his wrists. “But I won’t. I will never hurt you. Not ever. I will never cheat. I will never lie. I will never dishonour you or treat you like less than the queen you are. I vow it, my heart. I _swear_ it!”

She whimpered softly, “Loki.”

“I love you, Lauren.” Her lips tasted of tears and sorrow mixed with shame and regret when he kissed her, but he sank past it, sank deep, kissed her and poured out his heart. He wrapped her in his love and his magic until sadness turned to fire and left him breathless on the tile floor.

When she pulled back a second time, her lashes were slow to lift, but when they did, her eyes were full of sweet affection. The sorrow was still there but muted, and a smile was beginning to bloom gently on her lips.

“That was quite the promise,” she said softly, lightly touching his lips.

He nipped gently at her fingers. “And Asgardians always keep their promises.”

She wiped at her cheeks. “I know, peaches.”

Disentangling their limbs, Loki assisted her back to her feet. “What now, darling?” Did she even want to stay? Would she ask to go home?

She breathed out, composed herself, and headed for the cake on the cooling racks. “Now, we finish your cake, make a picnic, grab the horses and get the hell outta this house before I do somethin’ else I regret.” The worry from last night was present between her brows again.

Flicking his hand at the dishes, he set everything to rights from their breakfast. “Your mother seems to have forgotten you made that declaration.”

“Figures. Magnolia ignores anythin’ which don’t fit in with what she wants.”

If there was a touch of bitterness to the words, Loki didn’t hold it against her. Lauren had gathered a bowl and what ingredients she needed for this next step of cake making when Loki moved up behind her and pinned her hips to the counter with his own then wrapped his arms around her waist. “Will you be alright?”

Her hands clenched on the countertop before relaxing to lay flat. “The worst part? I can’t hate her. She’s still my mama. I seriously want to whip George’s behind from here to the next county, and I’m a little… nauseous, but I can't hate her. Does that make me weak?”

Tucking his nose into her hair, he sighed. “No, darling. It makes you far stronger than most. Frigga said nearly the same to me once. She hated what I’d done, what I’d become, but she still loved me.”

Her hands went back to adding things to the bowl before they, again, slowed to a stop. “Do you ever wonder if the mind stone was part of the reason you gave in to the Chitauri?”

“What?” It was such a jump in topic it took him a moment to follow her leap.

“I’ve seen the files. How you used the sceptre on Clint and the others. If you could use it on them, couldn’t the Chitauri have used it on you first?”

“No… I… no.” He pulled away, frowning, shaking his head in denial. “I don’t… my magic...”

“It’s possible, isn’t it?” she asked softly, turning to look at him.

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Loki shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. My magic is far too powerful.”

“More powerful than an infinity stone?”

He stared at her for a long moment, her question causing his mind to race with the implications. “There isn’t much more powerful than an infinity stone.”

Her brow arched, she nodded casually, then turned back to her bowl. “Hm, ain’t that somethin’.”

He blinked, momentarily taken aback. “Did you just… _distract_ me, woman?”

She bit her lip, but the giggle still erupted. “Maybe.”

“What a tricky creature you are becoming,” he snickered, returning to press himself against her spine. “I like it.” Placing his hands on her ribs, he nipped at the ear her hair was tucked behind.

Laughing softly, Lauren murmured, “I know.”

“Cheeky, girl.” He liked that too.

With her laughter drowning out the sound of her tears from but moments ago, Loki sighed, happy to be her distraction, sneaking his finger into the bowl of frosting, tickling her ribs to make her squeal, and generally being a nuisance to keep her smiling.

When the feeling of being watched registered, he turned his face to the heavens, grinned wickedly, waved his hand and hid them from Heimdall's view.

He could almost hear the Guardian laugh.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Smut (just a little), swearing, a little angst

 

* * *

Lauren sighed, happy to be away from the house, resting against Loki’s thigh beneath the sheer canopy of the incredible tent he'd created. It hadn't taken long to finish his cake, put together a decent picnic from Sue Ann’s leftovers, and slip away to the barn before they saw anyone else.

Teddy hadn't even batted an eye when Loki had walked in, collected Dragon and walked back out. It was quite clear who the stallion now answered to. Teddy had fetched her a less spirited gelding, her sweet white mare, Belle - short for Silver Bells - long since passed on from her younger years.

The new mount was one being vetted as a hunter jumper rather than a racehorse, and much to Lauren’s liking. He had fire and heart, and though he wasn't as fast as Dragon when they'd let the horses run, he'd kept up by will alone she was sure of it.

They grazed freely in amongst the trees along the river after a stern warning from Loki to behave themselves. It was beyond belief to watch him interact with them as if he was speaking to another person, not an animal. When she's asked how he did it, he'd shrugged stating as he could assume the shape of a horse, he could also _speak_ their language.

While she’d stood there with her mouth open, he'd turned toward the big oak whose branches stretched out over the water and whose base was relatively smooth and flat. The swelling of magic had rippled over her skin when it had raced through the air to create a pleasant spot for one to rest and while away a few hours.

It looked as if someone had dropped a luxurious tent of canvas and billowing sheer curtains beneath the oak. The outer doorways were tied back, showing a thick mattress covered in pillows and silks, reminiscent of the interior of Tony’s helicopter. A small round table set with goblets and pitchers waited to one side. Lush reds and golds and soft whites covered everything, drawing her in to flop unceremoniously upon the plush flooring.

It had been heavenly.

When Loki had settled at her side, she'd wriggle back, toeing off her boots, to use his thigh as a pillow while watching the leaves dance through the hazy gauze of the tent’s roof. So soothed was she by the sound of wind through trees, the warmth of the day, and the gentle brush of Loki's fingers through her hair, she dozed off with very little encouragement.

Now, with her waking, she glanced up to find a book balanced on his opposite thigh. “What are you readin’, peaches?”

“One of your rather gifted scribes. Shakespeare. His sonnets are remarkably good,” he said, somewhat distracted.

“We studied a few of his plays in high school. Romeo and Juliet. Othello. But never the sonnets.”

Arching a brow, he asked, “How can one judge the true depth of a person's talent if one does not read all there is to be read? It is like making an opinion on an artist after seeing only one painting.”

“You're right, but as most people are well aware of Shakespeare's talent - it is the most popular view of the man - assumptions can be made.”

“But what if your plays were examples of stellar work while the sonnets are shabby? Or the popular belief was made so by only a few loudmouthed men? Should you not form your own opinion?”

Thinking about it, she decided he wasn't wrong in his theory. Just because Shakespeare was revered by so many, didn't mean she shouldn't form her own opinion. “Well, I guess you'd best read me a couple so I can make an informed observation, shouldn't you?” Tilting her head back, she gave him a sly grin.

“Or perhaps you just want me to read to you, darling?” he asked, a smile quirking his lips.

“You do have that fancy way of talkin’ and all. I'm sure you'd sound _extra_ pretty readin' me a few sonnets.”

“Such cheek in you,” he quipped, tweaking the end of her nose.

“Is that a no?” she pouted, tilting her head back further into his lap.

He hummed softly, the sound one she couldn't distinguish, uncertain if he was amused or annoyed, but he turned back to the book on his knee. “Why is my verse so barren of new pride, so far from variation or quick change? Why with the time do I not glance aside to new-found methods, and to compounds strange? Why write I still all one, ever the same, and keep invention in a noted weed, that every word doth almost tell my name, showing their birth, and where they did proceed? O! know sweet love I always write of you, and you and love are still my argument; so all my best is dressing old words new, spending again what is already spent: For as the sun is daily new and old, so is my love still telling what is told.”

Lauren pondered the words while watching the treetops sway. “Interestin’,” she murmured, crossing her hands over her belly.

Loki had insisted on changing her clothes, dressing her in a similar fashion to his own riding gear, though, while he was garbed in greens and blacks, he’d put her in creams and golds. Cream breeks and white boots were not what she would have once considered appropriate riding gear, far too easy to get dirty, but there was something about the clothing which seemed to repel dirt. Add in the fact he’d lifted her to and from the saddle, acting a complete gentleman, she hadn’t needed to worry.

Now, gliding her hands over the belly of her wrapped tunic, she played with the tie. “He sounds so… frustrated I guess, almost angry. Maybe despondent is a better word. Like he’s despairin’ over his inability to create somethin’ fresh.”

“Everything he writes looks and sounds the same to him,” Loki agreed with a nod.

“But it’s not really his work he’s speakin’ of, is it?”

“What do you mean?”

Looking back at him, finding his eyes curious, Lauren shrugged. She glanced down and away, continuing to play with her ties. “It’s just… those last lines. He’s talkin' about love. True love. Love that renews every day, like how the sun comes up each mornin’. So, even though his work reiterates the same themes, it doesn’t really matter cause like love, it’s a force that constantly renews.”

“An interesting theory, my heart,” he murmured, fingers stroking through her hair.

Lauren blushed and tried not to purr beneath the lazy stroking. “It’s just a thought.”

“A valid thought.”

Her cheeks grew a little warmer, happy he hadn’t dismissed her opinion or thought her foolish for voicing it. “It was a little depressin’ though.”

“It’s not for everyone, certainly.” He closed the book, vanishing it from existence. “Perhaps you’d prefer a different poet?”

“Who do you have in mind?” she asked curiously.

He shifted then, scooting down to lay at her side, fingers tracing the curve of her cheek before tucking her hair behind her ear. “Perhaps Byron would be more to your liking?”

“You’re gonna have to elaborate on that one, hun.”

His eyes darkened, a look coming over them like a predator seeking prey. It made Lauren shiver when the wicked smile curled his lips. Before she could ask what he was up to, he propped himself at her side, long fingers gently tracing over her ribs while his head rested in his opposite hand.

“She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies; and all that's best of dark and bright meet in her aspect and her eyes: thus mellow'd to that tender light which heaven to gaudy day denies. One shade the more, one ray the less, had half impaired the nameless grace which waves in every raven tress, or softly lightens o'er her face; where thoughts serenely sweet express how pure, how dear their dwelling-place. And on that cheek, and o'er that brow, so soft, so calm, yet eloquent, the smiles that win, the tints that glow, but tell of days in goodness spent, a mind at peace with all below, a heart whose love is innocent!”

Lauren’s breath came in short pants for his trailing fingers had made their way to her face, caressing brow and cheek and lips while his sultry voice had purred out words so powerful, she was left breathless with love and longing.

“Oh my,” she whispered, unable to stop herself from reaching up to touch his lips.

“Such a romantic heart you have, my sweet,” he murmured, letting her draw him down. He kissed her soft and slow, as gently as the breeze playing with the sheer drapes.

When her lips felt swollen, when they tingled from the worrying of his teeth, and she’d moaned quietly, her hands drifting down his back, Loki finally lifted enough to allow her to breathe.

“That was lovely,” she said on a whisper of breath.

“The poem or the kiss?” he asked, nose brushing her cheek when he made to nibble on her ear.

“Both,” Lauren sighed.

His fingers skated her cheek, flushed with the heat of the day and his actions. “You seem to be overheating, or is it my touch which warms you so?”

“Both,” she smiled.

“Then perhaps you need this.” Stroking his hand down her body, he shifted riding gear to swimwear.

Shivering at the way his magic cooled the sweat on her skin, Lauren ran her hands over his bare chest for when her clothes changed so had his. He had the most beautiful body, sleek and fit, hard and defined. Everything about him seemed so refined, nearly elegant, almost regal in appearance. What Thor had in power, Loki revealed in grace.

Her hands smoothed down his ribs, and Lauren wallowed in the feel of all that strength, hers to enjoy, to cherish and appreciate. Soft skin, velvet over iron, stretched and pulled when he shifted, rolling to his back and taking her with him until she straddled his hips. Black swim trunks encased his hips, riding low, a line of red along the hip seam. Touching him was becoming her new favourite pastime, and with no one around to interrupt she set about learning the planes and hollows of his long torso.

A small smirk settled on his mouth when he tucked his hands behind his head. “See something you like, my love?”

“More than one thing,” she murmured, tracing her nails down his midline to the trickle of hair descending from his belly button to beneath his waistband. He was relatively hairless but for that happy little trail she had the insane desire to follow, dip her fingers beneath the fabric, and find the treasure she knew waited. More heat flushed her face, her mind drifting to what it would be like to finally _be_ with Loki.

“Are you thinking naughty thoughts again, darling?”

The smugness in his voice had her brow arching. “Maybe I am.”

“Tell me,” he coaxed, eyes brightening behind his thick lashes.

“Why should I?” she teased. “What’s in it for me?”

He sat up effortlessly, knocking her back, so she landed sharply in his lap. “If you tell me, I can see about making those thoughts… _reality_ ,” he purred against her ear.

Linking her arms behind his neck, she chuckled softly. “And what if what I wanted would tempt you to break your vow, peaches?”

“I would refrain, sweet Lauren, but not without seeing you… _satisfied._ ”

He bit at her jaw, a simple scrape of gentle teeth, but it sent a shock straight to her core. “Now you tempt me.”

“Perhaps we should have that swim. Then, once you're sufficiently… wet,” he nipped her ear and made her gasp, “I can take you to Valhalla with only my magic.”

“Just magic?” Heart skipping, she pulled back to see his face and found sultry dark eyes.

“Hm,” he hummed. “If that is your wish.” Fingers skated up her spine. “Unless you beg me otherwise.”

Inhaling sharply, her body reacting with his promise, Lauren whimpered, her eyes dropping to his lips. “Loki,” she sighed, leaning into him, yearning to get closer.

“Now, darling, what kind of beau would I be if I allowed you to become overheated?”

Again that sly, knowing smile curled Loki’s lips when his hands pressed against her hips, shifting her away so his eyes could travel down her body. The smile became a wicked smirk, accompanying the tilt of his head. When his fingers skimmed across her stomach to circle her navel, a sound very much like a purr of pleasure rumbled from his throat. “How delightful.”

His gaze trailed back up, deep blue shading into greens. Lauren had never felt so wanted, so desired in all her life.

“You look marvellous,” he said, shifting her to the side so he could push to his feet and help her to hers.

Lauren glanced down and did a short double take for the bikini, while modest, was still stunning. The green matched that of the cloak she'd seen him wear, while golden loops held the cups together between her breasts, and the bottoms together on each hip. Something akin to seed pearls edged the waistband, along with threads of gold, while a small looped chain hung around her waist and the gem in her navel ring twinkled in the sun.

“I think you may have overdone it, hun, just a touch. We're river swimmin’, not yachtin’ along the French Riviera.” She smiled to offset the words.

“I will always dress you in fineries, my sweet.” His hands stroked slowly up and down her bare sides as he admired his handiwork.

“If you say so.” She gave him a wink and turned on her heel to head for the water, Loki following. When she glanced back, she found his gaze locked on her ass. It made her laugh as she headed for the flat rocks jutting out into the water, took a few running steps, and leapt in a shallow dive out into the center of the river.

When she rose from the water, hair slicked back and laughing, enjoying the coolness, she made to turn to encourage him to join her only to have arms circle her waist from behind.

“What's this? A river nymph for me to capture?”

Would his voice ever stop twisting up her insides when she heard it like that? Low, sultry, with a rumble like a jungle cat. He purred the words against her wet shoulder, lips drifting, brushing lightly up the side of her neck.

“If you caught a nymph, what would she have to do to be set free, my trickster god?” she asked tilting her head to give him all the access he could want.

He kicked out, taking them closer to the shore. Once his feet settled into the rock and sand bottom of the river, he nipped his teeth into her shoulder. “She could never be free. I would keep her at my side, cherish and adore her, give her the world on a platter if she wished it.”

“You would cage her to you?” she asked, head falling back and legs tangling with his when she couldn’t quite touch bottom.

“Not a cage, never a cage,” he whispered against her ear, hand coming up to lay gently against the necklace around her throat. “She would be so loved, her happiness assured, there would be no reason for her to ever desire to leave.”

“I don’t need the world, Loki.”

His hand tightened around her waist. “What do you need, my precious nymph?”

She tilted her back and was stunned by the look of him, hair slick and water droplets trickling down his face. Eyes of blue and green were so piercing, so intense, she wondered if he could see right to her soul. “Nothing but what you’ve given me.”

He shifted her then to press her back over his arm. “Then what do you want, _elskan min_? What is your most heartfelt desire?”

Finding herself drifting on the water, laid back and floating, Lauren held onto his arms. She had red fill her cheeks with what she was about to admit. “You… you already gave it to me.”

“I did?” he asked, brows drawing together. “When?”

“When you tricked me into bringin’ you home with me.”

His face softened from confusion into wonder, eyes shining with adoration. “Such a romantic heart. You honour me, darling.” He bent to her, hand drifting up to cradle her head. His lips left trails of warmth on her river cooled skin.

“I couldn’t have done this without you,” she whispered, tears again burning the back of her eyes. Closing them, she fought back the pain, the betrayal, and the depression wanting to eat at her soul. The emotions she’d been working to ignore since her mother’s departure from the kitchen.

“They don’t deserve you.” The words whispered over her jaw with his soft lips.

Her hand found the back of his neck, clung there, desire and anguish warring inside her. “It hurts… and… I don’t know why.” It was like a knife had been shoved between her ribs, making it hard to breathe. “And the worst part is knowin’ if I’d come back alone, I’d a given in. I’d be makin’ plans to marry that… that… _ass_ , cowed under by mama and Marabeth, sufferin’ beneath the smug smile of Cissy, slowly dyin’ because I wouldn't be _me_ anymore.”

“No, no you wouldn’t,” he soothed. “You’re stronger than that.”

She kicked upright, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face there, holding on as tightly as she could, finding Loki to be the only stable point in her suddenly off-kilter world. “No, I’m really not. The only reason I’ve been able to do and say what I have is 'cause you’re here. You give me strength. You, Loki, give me courage. Only you.”

His grip on her tightened, bringing her flush against him. “You are far braver than you think, my heart. Far braver.”

Slow tears trickled down her cheeks. “I don’t feel brave.”

“How do you feel?” he asked quietly.

“Angry, hurt… _stupid_ ,” she sighed. “Really, really stupid.”

“No one calls my _Ástvinur_ stupid. Especially not her. You are not stupid, Lauren,” he scolded softly.

“I feel pretty damn stupid, Loki. My fiancé not only had a mistress but was sleepin' with my mother!” Pushing against him, she broke free and dove into the water, swimming back out into the river.

When she surfaced again, he was right there, hand closing around her wrist to drag her back up against him. “You are not the first to be deceived by someone they loved! It is easy when feelings are involved to be blind. I should know! I was blind for hundreds of years, had no idea I wasn’t of Odin’s blood until-” He cut himself off with a shake of head. “When people wish to hide something of this magnitude, they will do so. You cannot blame yourself for not seeing it sooner. I won’t let you blame yourself!”

“But my _mother_!” she cried, heart clenching hard in her chest.

“Your mother is a horrible person,” he bellowed, shaking her gently, “but you are not your mother!”

She froze when the realization washed over her that he was right. It was her biggest fear, a foolish one perhaps, one she’d thought buried four years ago when she’d broken free, but still a genuine fear that one day Lauren would wake and no longer like who she was. That the years of belittling would finally take their toll and she'd become a shrill, harpy of a woman.

He’d found the heart of the matter with an accuracy she was astounded at. All her life, when she wasn’t being compared to Marabeth, wasn’t being told to do better, be smarter, be more like her sister, she’d been told how much she was like her mother. Everything from hair to dress, to face and form, she’d been likened to her mother.

“I’m not my mama,” she whispered, the relief nearly palpable.

“No, darling,” he stroked her wet hair back from her face, “you are nothing like your mother, you are nothing like your sisters, but you are very much like your Gran. That is the woman you emulate at every turn.”

“I didn’t even realize…”

“I know,” he said, legs tangling gently with hers to keep them afloat and not let them drift too much with the current. “It is not you who is trying to be like her, Lauren. It is your mother, afraid of ageing, afraid of losing her youth who now chases it by acting and dressing like you. I can’t speak to her motivations, but whatever she was hoping to accomplish by taking what should have been yours has failed. Whatever validation she sought is no longer available to her. Forcing you to marry that… _miscreant_ was her doing what she could to live through your life.” His hands were gentle when they cupped her face, tilting it up so she could see her eyes. “Whatever made her do these things, whatever motivations were there on Montgomery’s behalf, I have to say I am grateful for them. Not for the pain it has caused you, but for how it has brought you to me.”

“Loki,” she sighed, the pain in her heart lessening. “Thank you, peaches.” Returning her arms to his neck, she kissed him slowly and thoroughly, her heart much less heavy, buoyed up by the love he freely offered. When she pulled back moments later, there was a very familiar grin quirking his lips. “What?”

“Montgomery didn’t exactly get off free and clear with his deceptions.” Green sparked and twinkled in his eyes.

“What did you do?” she asked, anticipation firing in her blood. She was finding her god had a most wicked sense of justice. Not cruel, not usually, but the punishment fit the crime more often than not.

“Your ex, my darling, will be unfit for the pleasures of the bedroom for a very, _very_ long time.”

“What?” she gasped, not quite understanding.

Loki chuckled darkly and kicked in the water, taking her along with him back toward their tent as they’d drifted a little way down the river. “I cursed him to be a disappointment to his bed partner; in all aspects.”

“So he can’t… he can’t…” She didn’t know whether to blush, laugh, or cringe.

“As Barton would so eloquently put it, he can no longer _get it up_.” Blue eyes danced and twinkled with a mischievous light. “Nor can he perform any physical aspect of pleasure for his partner. I’m afraid he will be quite celibate for the foreseeable future.” Loki’s fingertips followed the curve of her spine. “His touch will feel like lead, his kisses sloppy and dull, and he is doomed to be absolutely atrocious with his tongue.”

“He wasn't any good with it to begin with,” Lauren grumbled only to slap a hand to her mouth. “Oh dear. Outside voice.”

Loki tugged her hand away and burst out laughing. “You must let your inner voice out more often! She is feisty and I like her.”

Giggling even as she blushed, Lauren pushed away from his chest and swiped a handful of water his direction. “Such a cad!”

He gasped, wiping away the water drops which trickled down his face. “Did you just _splash_ me?”

Swimming backward away from him, Lauren bit her lip to keep from laughing. “And what if I did?”

“You will feel my wrath, nymph!” Smacking his hand into the water, he sent a much bigger wave her way.

Lauren shriek and darted to the side, returning fire for fire, laughing and splashing like children until an unusually cold wave of water crashed over her and stole her breath.

“That's cheatin'!” she hollered, shivering after the icy dousing. Even the water beneath the surface had gone arctic cold for a moment.

“You never said I _couldn't_ use magic,” he teased swimming toward her.

“It was cold!” she grumbled as he got closer.

“Tsk, poor baby. Come, let me warm you.” He held out his arms, devilish smile present.

“No,” she pouted, turning up her nose.

His face fell, concern etching its way across his features. “You are not truly upset with me, are you, my sweet?”

“Humph.” Turning her face she floated away, drifting with the current.

He was instantly in front of her, face contrite. “Lauren, please. It was simply meant in jest-” His words ended abruptly when she pounced on him and shoved him under the water.

She swam quickly out of reach, laughing, expecting retaliation of some sort when he came cursing and sputtering to the surface.

“Now who is cheating?!” he snarled, shoving his hair from his face.

“No one never said I _couldn't_ dunk you,” she mimicked, grin far too smug for her own good.

“Tricky woman. Very, very tricky. But now I'll simply have to get even.” Green suddenly gleamed in his eyes.

The water around her lit up with tendrils of magic, wrapping around her ankles and curling around her waist.

“Loki, no!” she shouted, but the dunking she’d expected never came.

A gasp became a moan when more magic brushed the inside of her thighs, skated the bare skin of her belly, caressed the curves of her breasts.

He swam up behind her, cupped her chin, drawing her head back on his shoulder. Intertwining their fingers together, he crooned, “Loki, _yes_ ,” against her ear. “Are you sufficiently… _wet_ , my heart?”

She whimpered, nodding. His magic felt like flicks of decadent tongues over her skin, warming her body, swiftly replacing the chill which had been there. Now the gooseflesh coating her skin had nothing to do with being cold.

“What was that?” he chuckled. “Was that _yes_ , _Loki_?”

“Why don’t,” she moaned when something firm skated over her clothed core, “you check and see.”

He tsked at her, continuing to snicker softly, his need to make mischief evident in the sound. “I can’t do that, darling. I did promise you’d see Valhalla by magic alone, now, didn’t I? Unless you wish to beg for something more, my heart.”

Lauren arched back and groaned, floating on the surface of the water. Though his fingers were firmly caught with hers, it felt as if he’d grown extra sets of hands, hands which now stroked and caressed, touched and teased, cupped and squeezed when and where he wished. “Oh!” she gasped, kicking out in surprise when it seemed the hands sank straight through her swimsuit to touch bare skin. The tongue suddenly lapping between her thighs was a shock which set her crying out, knuckles turning white from how hard she gripped Loki’s fingers.

“Easy, my heart,” he whispered against her cheek, “Let me love you.”

She could feel the tightening of her nipples against her suit before the sensation was replaced by the heat of a warm mouth, plucking and playing, gentle and slow, worshiping all her pleasure points. Another mouth fell on the side of her throat, fingers stroked along her spine, others drew circles on her hips. Lips and teeth nipped and sucked at the golden serpents circling her navel, and all the while the tongue between her thighs lapped in languid strokes which stole her breath, and caused her to writhe and moan.

A groan from Loki had her opening her eyes to find the green of his hot with desire, the magic swirling around them like mist. He watched her shake, arch and whimper, his attention wholly focused on her. He released one of her hands and moved slowly until she was bent back over his arm, his mouth replacing the phantom one on her throat. The sharp scrape of teeth was enough to send a small wave of pleasure crashing through her body.

Water sprayed when she swung her arm up to hold onto his shoulder, head tilted back, cry loud and wanton, shattering the serenity of the river. Lips crashed against hers, his kiss desperate, filled with need and lust, as affected by the moment as she was. Needing to feel him, Lauren fought her feet down, plastered her body to his and moaned into his mouth when she came into contact with his hard length against her stomach. Rubbing on him like a cat, she had zero qualms about wrapping her legs around his waist, an action made easier with the water lifting them up.

He hissed when the heat of her core came in contact with his clothed erection. “Lauren!” he gasped, jerking his mouth away.

She rolled her hips, uncaring, desperate herself to feel him, to watch him come undone. “Don’t care, peaches. Please, _touch me_ ,” she panted, rolling against him, causing his mouth to drop open and hands to streak to her ass. She wrapped hers behind his neck, leaned back and found a rhythm which pleased them both.

The rocking staying the speed of a smooth canter, she cried out when his teeth closed over the pulse point in her throat for a moment before he lost the ability to concentrate. Hot breath washed over her skin, her heart raced in time with his pounding against her chest. Her core throbbed with how good she felt, the ecstasy just out of reach but growing closer with every thrust and roll of his hard length over her clit.

“Fuck!” Loki snarled, dragging her tighter against him until there was no retreat, only the hardness of him pressed to the softness of her, hips grinding together, smooth skin gliding over sleek skin.

When the fist of need wrapped around her center finally clamped down, Lauren threw her head back and moaned out his name. Every nerve in her body light up. Pleasure pulsed and crashed through her until she was breathless, mouth open in a silent scream, walls clenching on nothing, leaving her wrung out but still hungry for more.

Moments later, the half moan half growl fell from Loki’s lips, the sound vibrating against her neck when he jerked a few final times against her and went still.

Lauren sighed happily, the water again feeling nice on her superheated skin. She hummed, content to just stay where she was, his face tucked against her throat and arms around her back. “That was some retaliation, hun.”

“Hm, you are a minx,” he murmured, kissing her all along her throat and jaw.

“I think that’s how you like me,” she said with a chuckle.

“You would be correct, darling,” he quipped, pulling back to look at her with all the love she could handle. “My mischievous Valkyrie, not even I am immune to your charms.”

“I should hope not, sir! However, would I keep up with you if you were?”

He laughed and kept her pressed right where she was as he moved them toward the shore, eventually walking out with her still wrapped around him, taking the two of them back toward the pretty tent. “I think you should stretch yourself out in the sun like you usually do and leave the mischief-making up to me. It is my job after all.”

“Oh is it now?” she quipped, looking down at him as he packed the two of them dripping, back through the opening. “As you keep insistin’ you are a _reformed_ mischief maker, perhaps you need a new job?”

Loki dropped to his knees and tumbled her to her back, setting her giggling. “Perhaps I should make _you_ my new career?”

“Me?” she blinked up at him, his hair dripping on her chest as he crawled his way back up her body.

He dipped his head, licking at the water trickling down her sternum. “Hm, indeed. Follow you around. Call you _my lady_. Be at your beck and call for whatever _needs_ you may have.”

“Oh my stars,” she whispered, chills racing her spine with the thought of it.

“Would you like that, naughty girl? Having me available to you at any moment for whatever _pleasures_ you’d desire?”

The heat in his gaze seemed to sear through her, raise her temperature and dry her from the inside out. She wondered if steam was rising from her wet suit. Again she felt almost compelled to speak the truth and whispered only, “Yes.”

“My _lady_ ,” he crooned, lowering so his lips brushed over hers. “How very, very wicked of you. I’m afraid you would _never_ work again for I would do all in my power to gain your attention so I could have you to myself. Pressed to a wall or,” his lips drifted back to purr near her ear, “bent over your desk.”

A quake of need gripped her center. “Loki,” she moaned, reaching for him.

Nipping her earlobe, he continued to speak to her in the rumbling, rolling tone which twisted up her insides. “That would be _five_ , _elskan min_. My heart. My love. My beautiful darling.”

“You’re gonna kill us both before we ever get there!” she groaned, when he finally pulled away.

“What is that saying of yours? Patience is a virtue,” he chuckled.

“Not right now it ain’t!” she whined, pouting when he drew away.

His fingers tickled her ribs and made her squeal. “Roll over.”

She did so even as she eyed him suspiciously. Lauren sighed when the sun’s rays fell upon her back. It swiftly became a moan of appreciation when warm, lotion slicked hands smoothed over her skin. “For someone who hardly ever joined us by the pool, you’ve got a pretty good handle on the laze by the water thing.”

The wet ends of his hair on her shoulder when he bent closer made her shiver. “Who says I wasn’t there?”

Eyes snapping open, Lauren glanced at his smug face. “You skulkin’ again?”

“I do not skulk!” he growled, hand landing firmly enough on her bottom to make her jump.

“Hey!” she yelped.

“Serves you right.”

Hearing the pout in his voice, Lauren smirked into her arms and said no more. Instead, she enjoyed the way his fingers not only smoothed on the lotion but also smoothed out the knots of tension she’d been ignoring.

“Feels nice,” she murmured, relaxing under his hands until she felt like putty.

“Good. Enjoy the heat. One would think you and Wanda were part feline with how you migrate from window to window, or lounge chair to lounge chair.”

She giggled softly for he wasn’t wrong. “Guess now when I’m lookin' for a warm spot, I should just snuggle up against you?”

A tender kiss was placed low on her back. “Whenever you wish.”

“Or I could always snuggle with Bucky. Super soldiers radiate heat,” she teased earning an unhappy growl.

“You do and I will make sure you regret it,” he warned, fingers kneading into her legs.

“After this last retaliation, that ain’t much of a deterrent.”

His touch slowed to a stop before creeping back up her thighs. At the leg of her briefs, his fingers slipped beneath to ever so lightly caress her buttock, making her shiver in anticipation. “Yes, but I was feeling benevolent today. Push me, darling, and I will see you hang on the precipice for _hours_.”

The retort dried up on her tongue.

He went back to his massaging.

She didn’t have to look to know there was likely a smirk on his face. Lauren licked her lips, swallowed, and schooled her voice. “Hours, hm? How… _delightful_.”

His hands paused a second time, but Lauren only sighed, sinking into the softness beneath her while smiling to herself when his hands flexed, then began anew, and he said no more.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing

 

* * *

They lazed away the day next to the river, sharing both the food and the peace of it in quiet solitude until the heat began to grow uncomfortable. If their speed on the way back to the farm amounted to nothing more than a slow amble, neither complained nor did the horses, heads down and relaxed, seem to mind.

Teddy was waiting for them when they returned, grin wide and knowing, though he said nothing, only grunted a greeting and took the stallion and the gelding away.

Nodding to the older man, Loki collected Lauren’s hand in his. She took a breath, deep and steadying, before heading up the road to the house. The silence continued to stretch between them, but Loki was finding it comfortable and felt no need to fill it. What words had needed saying, had been said.

She was much more confident in herself, his Lauren. Chin up and shoulders back, she looked like a woman self-assured and strong. The way he knew her to be every day since they’d met. Yes she could be shy, reserved at times, and easy to make blush, but when it came to her position as Tony’s assistant, and even among the others, she held her own with quick wit and sass, and quiet grace. Seeing her in the light of her family these past days had been… disturbing.

She’d had three years to come into her own before their introduction. Three years for Lauren to become her own person. To watch these… _people_ knock her feet out from under her as they had made Loki viciously angry.

He was not known as a dark god for nothing and was entertaining dark thoughts when she spoke.

“You’re scowlin’ somethin’ fierce,” she said, capturing his attention.

“Thinking is all, darling.” He tilted his head in apology.

“About what?”

“Nothing important. Random thoughts.” Random thoughts about peeling her sisters’ fingernails back slowly.

Her brow arched, disbelief quite apparent in the action. “Mm-hm. And you expect me to believe that?”

He chuckled, unable to do anything else when she called him on his evasion. “Perhaps I was contemplating rather _dark_ thoughts.”

She poked him just above the wide leather belt which wrapped around his waist. “Well cut it out. You’re all… broody and grumpy lookin’.”

“We can’t have that now, can we?” he grinned, raking his eyes over her form. “Have I told you yet how stunning you are in Asgardian dress?”

“Are you tryin’ to change the subject?”

“Yes, now say, _thank you, Loki_.”

“Thank you, Loki,” she mimicked with far more snap and sass than he’d used.

He continued to chuckle even as she scowled at him, Loki drew his fingers over the collar of her tunic. “You do look quite fetching. Had I seen you dressed so in the stable yard of Asgard, I would have been most interested in seeing if you would… ride with me.”

A blush coloured her cheeks. “I’m sure you would have been. Too bad I know better than to give in to a smooth-talkin' rake.”

“Rake!” he gasped, grasping her chin gently. “You wound my heart, darling.”

She was wholly unremorseful in her giggling, and curled her fingers over his belt, thumbs stroking the carved leather. “If the God of Mischief isn’t the quintessential tomcat, I don’t know who would be.”

“I’ll have you know I am not the womanizer in Asgard. That title belongs well and truly to Fandral. I may not be as _pure_ as the Lady Sif, but I have certainly never been free with my affections.” He pouted a little, not really offended, but willing to play the part.

She wasn’t buying it. Lauren stepped away, continuing up the road. “This Fandral must be _quite_ handsome,” she teased.

“So the women seem to think,” he grumbled, disliking her train of thought.

“Then the women of Asgard must be blind,” she said, so offhandedly it took him a moment to register her meaning.

He wrapped his arm around her waist, drawing her to a halt with a hand on her belly. “What _exactly_ are you getting at, my love?”

“Only that I think you’re exceptionally handsome, so if they ignored your good looks for this Fandral, who can’t be that good lookin’ compared to you, then the women of Asgard must have a skewed idea of handsome. But maybe it’s a good thing no one looked your way. Then you wouldn’t be here with me.” She smiled sweetly over her shoulder, pretty colour tinting her cheeks.

“ _Elskan min_ , should you ever meet Fandral, do me the favour of saying so to his face.” The bright light of mischief in her eyes had him humming in appreciation when she smirked and nodded.

“I will. Even if I think he’s prettier than you!” she quipped, laughing as she tugged away.

“You horrible woman! What a terrible tease you are!” he barked, striding after her.

She gave a mocking bow as she backed away. “But I’m a _fantastic_ flirt!” she countered, sticking out her tongue.

“Do that again, and I won’t be held responsible for the consequences,” he growled, watching her tongue sweep over her lips.

She must have been feeling bold for she straightened up, smile smug, and quipped, “What? This?” as she stuck her tongue out again.

He had her in his arms before she’d even gotten it tucked away. “Exactly,” he rumbled, sinking down to take her mouth in a devastating kiss, one which saw him sucking at her mouth, her tongue, her lips, until her knees weakened and she clung to him, apparently boneless.

He slid his hands down her back, tucked them beneath the hem of her tunic and gripped her bottom. Loki dragged her up against him, allowing her to see what her teasing had accomplished. Her whimper was captured by his lips, lips which sipped and sucked and devoured hers, making them plush, plump, and pink with his attention.

“Oh,” she sighed when he lifted his head.

“Indeed,” he chuckled. “Naughty girl, all that teasing. Whatever should I do with you?”

Her eyes were deep green, endless forests of desire. “You could always just keep me,” she smiled.

The words sent a thrill streaking his spine. He had every intention of doing just that. “I might do so.”

The scuff of a shoe in the gravel had both of them looking up the road to the top of the hill where the two children from last night stood hand in hand.

“Sugar cubes!” Lauren called out, her entire being lighting up with their arrival.

“Aunt Lu! We’ve been lookin’ for you,” the little girl scolded, a perfect frowning miniature of her aunt.

The boy, however, had a shaggy mop of dark hair which curled around his face and ears. His blue eyes held a wealth of grey, a miniature version of his father, but that was where the resemblance ended. His smile was far too big, eyes much too excited when he rocked up on his toes and pulled away from his sister to race down the road, nearly tripping over his feet when he stumbled to a stop at Loki’s.

“I know you!” he said, bouncing with excitement. “You’re Lucky!”

Lauren swiftly covered her mouth, muffling the snort and giggles she was not hiding well.

Loki sent her a hard look as he crouched down to be closer to the boy. “Some would say I was quite lucky, but my name, Benny, is Loki.”

A flush of red coloured his cheeks. “Oops,” the boy whispered.

Loki smiled, ruffling the boy's hair. “It is an honest mistake.”

“You know my name,” he whispered, awe filling his eyes.

“Your aunt speaks very highly of you,” he said, casting a swift glance at her, noting the way her eyes sparkled with happiness. “It is only right I should know your name.”

Benny’s smile returned, a beaming one which was nearly blinding. “I like the Avengers!”

“Hm, I saw your pajamas. You must really like Captain Rogers.”

“He’s neat! I like his shield,” the boy nodded vigorously before turning to send the same beaming smile up at Lauren. “Aunt Lu! You brought home an Avenger!”

She reached down and lifted the boy to her hip with a laugh. “That I did.”

“Just for me?” he asked, eyes twinkling.

She let out a peal of laughter, a sound Loki had not heard filled with such joy before now.

“Yeah, sugar cube, _just_ for you!” She spun in a circle and made the boy squeal. “Loki is my very good friend.”

Sara, who had made her way down the lane in her shiny white shoes with slightly more decorum than her brother, dug a toe into the dirt. She stood before him, causing the ruffles edging the tops of her socks to flutter along with the ones on her frilly blue dress. “Are you Aunt Lu’s beau?” she asked, smile sweet and shy.

She was utterly charming with her eyes like oceans, causing Loki’s heart to suddenly jump and accelerate rapidly when she peered at him from behind long, gold-dusted lashes. “Would it please you, precious, if I was?”

She blushed in precisely the same way as her aunt when she nodded.

Already smitten, he smoothed his hand over her hair, a touch of magic seeing her frizzy braids set to rights. “Then I guess it must be so. I would hate to disappoint you.”

A giggle accompanied her much fuller smile when she glanced toward Lauren. “He’s so _fancy_!”

Shaking his head at having another one of her family call him _fancy,_ Loki smiled at Lauren who still held the young boy to her. “Am I forgiven for spiriting you Aunt away?” he asked Sara, holding out his hand.

“Oh yes!” she said, taking it easily. “I’m ever so pleased to meet you, sir.”

“As I am you, Lady Sara,” he smiled.

“Aunt _Lu_!” Benny breathed out, awe in his voice as he cupped both of Lauren’s cheeks making her look at him. “He did _magic_!”

“Of course he did,” Lauren snickered, tickling Benny’s belly. “Loki is the very best when it comes to magic. Why I dare say, he’s even _more_ powerful than Dr. Strange.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to brag,” Loki said, knowing she was only half teasing.

“What magic? Did I miss it?” Sara asked, a pout forming on her lips.

Right there his heart melted, fell with a splat at the feet of a seven-year-old darling, a little dove, a precious and sweet miniature of his Lauren. “Of course not. A gentleman would never allow a lady to miss out on a magic trick.” He rolled his wrist and produced a pretty white daisy he held out to her.

“Oh… my,” she whispered, her little hands pressing to her lips and eyes very wide.

“Take it, darling,” he encouraged, his smile soft.

She touched a single finger to one white petal. “It’s so pretty.”

“It’s a daisy,” Benny rolled his eyes.

“It was still made by _magic_ Benjamin William, big dummy!” Sara snapped, planting her hands on her hips and sticking out her tongue.

“Sara!” Lauren huffed. “That ain’t no way to speak to your brother!”

“He started it,” she pouted.

“Well, that doesn’t mean you’ve got to finish it. He’s the only brother you have. There’ll be no name callin’ in this house. Now, say you’re sorry.”

Sara scowled darkly at her smugly grinning brother. “Sorry,” she muttered, but they all knew she didn’t honestly mean it.

Before Loki could say anything, Lauren turned her scolding on the boy in her arms.

“And you be nice. Loki made somethin’ special all for your sister. You should be happy for her.” She gave him the same hard look she’d sent Sara.

Thoroughly chastised, Benny tucked his chin down. “Sowry, Sara,” he whispered, chin quivering until Lauren kissed his forehead.

“Family is important. You need to be nice to each other, count on each other, and watch out for each other,” she murmured, tucking her face into the boy’s dark curls. “I may not always be able to be around, and you’ll… you’ll need each other.”

Loki tucked the daisy behind Sara’s ear and got to his feet. He took the boy from Lauren, set him on the ground, and gathered her close. “Nothing is set in stone, my heart,” he whispered against her ear. “Give it time.”

She nodded, breathing out a shaky breath, and turned away to wipe the moisture from her eyes before smiling for the children. “You know what? I’m parched. Why don’t we go see if Sue Ann has some of her world-famous lemonade in the fridge. And maybe, if you ask him real nice, Loki will be inclined to share some of the cake I made for him this mornin’? What y’all think? Can you do that?”

Both children turned to him, eyes of oceans and storm-swept skies looking up at him full of hope.

“Please, Mr. Loki, sir. Aunt Lu makes the absolute _bestest_ cake,” Benny pleaded.

Sara nodded eagerly. “Why I’d be happy as a possum-”

“Eating a sweet potato,” he chuckled, giving Sara’s nose a tap. “I think that can be arranged.”

They both squealed in excitement before dancing around Lauren, tugging at her hands to get her moving, and making her laugh.

He had a heart-stopping moment of foresight. This, right here, was the life he could have at some point in the future. These children, Sara the image of Lauren, Benny whose hair was dark enough, curled enough, to pass as his own child, were the foreshadowing to what it would look like to have a family.

His family.

His.

Lauren shooed the children along, sending them up the lane when whatever emotion was showing on his face had her returning to his side with a frown. “Loki? Are you alright, hun?”

“I’m fine,” he said, but the words were strained, a little hoarse, and his hand shook slightly when he sank his fingers into her soft curls. Someday, someday he could be that which he’d never realized he wished to be. A father.

He placed a kiss on her forehead and held it for a moment, his thoughts racing and heart pounding.

Last night, seeing her with them had been heart-stopping, the desire strong, but today, watching her laugh and smile and _love_ them even as she scolded, had turned desire into want, into a need so strong it caused his bones to ache.

And through it all… through it all, she’d reminded him of Frigga.

“One day you will make a most spectacular mother,” he whispered, letting his forehead rest against hers.

She blushed a rosy pink. “Well, I’m… I’m much obliged you’d think so.”

“I know so, sweet Lauren. One needs only see you with them to see how you cherish the children.” Tenderly, he touched her cheek, brushing his knuckles across it.

She looked up at him through her lashes, hers more smoky than gold, but again the resemblance between her and Sara was uncanny. “Thank you, Loki.”

He placed a soft, chaste kiss upon her lips, chuckling at her frown when he pulled away. “I would kiss you as I wished, but we have an audience.” He nearly laughed at the sparkle in Sara’s eyes and the disgust upon Benny’s face. The boy would learn, one day. “Shall we give them a thrill?” he asked, tugging on her tunic.

Lauren's sly smile replaced her shyness in an instant. “I think they would like that.”

He bent a second time, wrapped his magic around them, and kissed her like he really wanted to, all lips and tongue and heat while his magic hid them from view. When he’d stalled long enough, he lifted his head slowly and let his power recede.

High pitched _oohs_ and a barrage of giggles erupted at the top of the lane, but he ignored them in favour of looking Lauren over. Thin straps held up the light and airy blue dress, a shade or two brighter than Sara’s. Tight across the bust, it flowed into loose lines which dropped straight to the ground. It fluttered gently in what little breeze there was, with a pattern of geometric lines beginning at her knees and running down to the hem in a creamy white, mimicking the pictures on the columns within the grand hall, the throne room of Asgard.

The dress left her arms and shoulders bare, her _brúðr steinn_ shimmering in the sun, while her hair was caught at the back of her neck in a cascade of heavy curls held there by an intricately woven golden clip.

“Have I told you I quite adore your hair?” he murmured, carding his fingers through it and watching the curls bounce back.

“I can’t say that you have, good sir,” she teased, tracing her fingers over his chest. “But then I quite like yours, so I guess we’re even.”

“I guess so. When next we are alone, you will have to tell me what else you _admire_.”

“There you go again, wantin’ me to stroke that ego of yours.”

She made to walk away when the children called for her to hurry up, but Loki caught her arm as she passed and leaned close to her ear. “It is not my ego I wish your hands were stroking, _elskan min_.”

Her eyes snapped to his, darkened swiftly into emeralds. “Perhaps later I can pet… other things.”

“Oh, _darling_. I certainly hope so,” he crooned, releasing her arm.

She walked a few steps away before smirking at him over her shoulder. “Like your hair, maybe?”

“Minx!” he huffed, even as she giggled.

***

High in the gleaming silver tower in the middle of New York, Tony, Natasha, and Steve were waiting for the images to come back while Sam frowned off to the side.

“You all worry too much. If Lauren can keep Tony on schedule, she can handle Loki,” Sam said, crossing his arms, showing his disagreement in what the three of them were up to.

“We’re simply checking in, gathering a little intel. After what Barnes told Cap, we’re obligated to make sure she’s alright,” Tony said, tapping a few more buttons.

“I don’t trust him,” Nat grumbled, glaring at the screens. “What if he’s tricked her into all this?”

“Bucky says Loki has feelings for her,” Steve said, glancing at Sam. By the look on his face, it was clear to all those gathered he wasn’t feeling the best about this either.

“See! You’ve even got Cap, the moral compass, second-guessing what you’re all up to,” Sam quipped.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “Captain Goody-goody can suck it up.”

“Natasha!” Steve barked.

“Oh please! Like you’re not the least bit curious to know what’s going on down there.” Tony snapped, waving at them all to be quiet. “Here we go.”

The helicopter, which remained on the lawn of Lauren’s former home, was equipped with micro cameras which Tony had activated, after Cap’s revelation earlier that morning of Lauren and Loki’s subsequent _engagement_ , to seek out the Asgardian and surreptitiously take pictures.

As they watched the images unfold, Sam finally giving in and moving closer, the four of them stood with mouths agape.

Beneath the limbs of a stately tree, the tiny drone had found a bikini-clad Lauren stretched out in the dappled sunlight, lounging among decadent silks and pillows under the canvas and gauze tent. Her head was on Loki’s thigh, hands covering her middle, while Loki, who also seemed to be swimsuit-clad, appeared to be reading to her as he played with her hair.

“What…”

“The…

“Hell…?”

Sam snickered with the other three’s reaction. “Told you she could handle him.”

The pictures continued to click through, showing them laughing, kissing, returning to swim and, to everyone’s shock, _play_ in the water. It was an incredibly intimate moment between two people who were very comfortable with each other and set Steve clearing his throat, uncomfortable with their spying.

“Shut it down.”

The four voyeurs flinched guiltily at the anger in Bucky’s tone.

The hardness of his face had Steve cringing. Even the cat perched upon Bucky’s shoulder, tail lashing, appeared to be passing judgement on them all. “We… were curious.”

“So you _spy_ on what’s clearly a private moment?” Bucky snapped.

“We didn’t know-”

The look Bucky sent Natasha was enough to have her close her mouth without finishing her excuse. “I don’t give a flying fuck, Natalia. I know damn well Lauren told you to butt out. Maybe you should listen.”

Tony, however, continued to ignore Bucky, swiping his way through the pictures until one, in particular, had him gaping in shock. “Well, will you look at that?”

All five of them looked, even though Bucky’s scowl deepened until he caught sight of the image captured in brilliant colour.

The couple had returned to the house and were interacting with two small children, Loki crouched and smiling, offering the little girl a flower.

“That’s Sara and Benny,” Bucky murmured, striding forward. “Lauren’s niece and nephew.” But it was the pain on Lauren’s face, the devastation she was feeling which made Bucky frown. “Keep going,” he muttered to Stark.

“Thought you wanted us to stop invading their privacy?”

“Shut up and swipe,” Bucky growled.

They watched in silence as Loki took Benny from her, placed the boy down, and drew her in, holding her with care, a tenderness which left them all awed. This was not the sharp-tongued, standoffish, guarded man they knew.

He smiled, and he touched. He watched her with eyes full of longing, and a sudden stark desire had sprung to life on Loki’s face when, after she’d regained her composure and teased the children into some sort of excitement, she returned to Loki’s side.

Magic swirled up, was caught on film, something which surprised them all for Loki was exceptionally skilled and very fast when it came to his tricks, but this one lasted for frames, the mist of green filling the drone’s lenses until it finally gave way, revealing them both in much more normal clothing.

Lauren’s dress was beautiful, and Loki appeared as well-groomed as always; as if he’d stepped from the pages of GQ.

“Will you look at that necklace?” Sam whistled his admiration.

“Wonder if he made that for her?” Steve questioned.

Natasha glowered at the screen. “So he makes her things and gives her pretty clothes. He’s a criminal.”

“Shut up, Natasha,” Bucky sighed, scratching Felix’s chin when the cat purred and rubbed against his face. “If you’re so blind you can’t see he’s head over heels for her, you may want to re-evaluate your title as _spy_.”

“And we’ve all been labelled a criminal at one point or another,” Steve murmured, backing Bucky.

“None of us slaughtered thousands of people!”

“No, but I killed hundreds.” Turning away from Tony, the death of the Starks still a raw spot, Bucky made to leave the room. “He may not be the poster child for atonement, but Loki is trying. The fact he does anything asked of him, no matter how dangerous, speaks volumes to how deeply he regrets what he was part of.”

“You can’t compare yourself to him! _You_ didn’t know what you were doing, Bucky!” Natasha snapped, having had this conversation dozens of times before.

Bucky nodded. “No, I didn’t, but it was still my hands at the end of the gun. I do what I can to atone for my sins every damn day.” He walked out without a further word.

Steve glanced back at the screen, frozen on the image of Loki and Lauren, his hand in her hair, eyes full of soft affection with Lauren’s hands on his chest, her smile brilliant. In the image, he could see the gleaming engagement ring on her left hand.

Tony leaned against the console and sighed. “Now I wish we had video. I’d love to know what _that_ was about.” He nodded toward the other screen with a saddened Lauren nuzzling into the hair of her nephew.

“It doesn’t matter,” Steve murmured, smiling gently at the image of the two of them smiling at each other. “They’re happy. She’s happy, and he’s clearly behaving himself. If he’s working magic for nothing more than that,” he waved at Lauren’s clothes, “then what’s the harm.”

“I still don’t like it,” Nat muttered, striding out the door before anyone could stop her.

Tony narrowed his eyes at Steve. “What do you know you’re not telling anyone?”

Eyes widening, Steve held up his hands. “Nothing!”

“C’mon, Steve! Spill the deets,” Sam smirked.

He shook his head. “Look, it’s between Lauren and her family.”

“What? The fact she got left at the altar, and her mother is a hag?” Tony snorted.

“I’m not going to give up Lauren’s- Wait? You know about that?”

Tony only rolled his eyes. “I employed her. Of course, I know how she ended up in New York. And as for her bitch mother, one doesn’t come back from taking a phone call with red-rimmed eyes because someone has spoken _sweetly_ to them.”

Sam looked between the two of them, clearly shocked. “Someone left that sweet woman on her _wedding_ _day_?”

“Yeah,” Steve sighed, cat now out of the bag. “He ran off with his mistress. Her mother was trying to force Lauren to get back with her ex. That’s really why Loki went with her.”

“Shit!” Sam hissed, scrubbing a hand over his mouth.

“Her mother is a harpy, but then her eldest sister is no prize either,” Tony grumbled, taking his blue tinted glasses from his face and rubbing his eyes.

“What do you know?” Steve asked, now as curious as Sam, along with a little concerned.

“Marabeth Avirett. Lawyer, one known to be vicious, cruel, and without mercy in court. She’s been sighted on more than one occasion for being… aggressive with witnesses.”

“A bully,” Sam growled.

“A bitch,” Tony scoffed. “I know people who’ve had to deal with her outside the courtroom. She has a reputation of being _difficult_ , while her husband is an uptight, close-fisted, loudmouth looking to run for governor.”

“Jeez,” Steve hissed, resting back against the wall with a sigh.

“Quite honestly, Cap, I thought you’d lost your mind sending Loki with her, but…” Tony glanced at the monitor, “I’m not sure any of the rest of us could do what he can in this situation.”

“And what’s that?” Sam and Steve said at the same time.

“Make her smile, keep her happy, and protect her from the sharp barbs they’ll sling at her,” Tony said before turning his eyes to the two men, “and make them pay if they hurt her.”

Silence settled over the three of them as they all studied the image before them.

Finally, Steve smiled. “Guess if you’ve got to deal with deceit, deception, and discord, there ain’t no one better for wading through the mess than the God of Mischief.”

“Nah,” Sam chuckled. “And there isn't no one better for creating chaos for those who deserve it.”

“Her mother definitely deserves it,” Tony snickered.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing and Lauren’s horrid family.

 

* * *

They were on the back lawn playing a game of croquet with the children after their break for refreshments when Cissy sauntered out on the patio in a pair of pink shorts. Her tank top was peach, and so tight Lauren could tell she hadn’t bothered with any sort of brazier. Cissy had always had breasts perky enough to be envious of, but that didn’t excuse her flaunting her assets - the shorts barely covering the cheeks of her behind - in front of Lauren’s beau.

Her dark hair was piled high on her head, thrown into a casual top knot, but Lauren knew better. Cissy had likely spent hours making it look effortlessly arranged. Her makeup was artfully done creating cat eyes which enhanced the blue into near cobalt, while high heeled sandals the same colour as her top lifted her butt and elongated her legs.

The little hussy was doing it on purpose.

“Well here y’all are!” she smiled, evidently delighted to find them. “Why, I looked everywhere for you, dear sister. I thought we could spend the day together, let me get to know my handsome brother-in-law to be.” She fluttered her lashes Loki’s direction.

It amused Lauren to no end when Loki cast Cissy an uninterested glance and went back to assisting Sara to put her ball through the wicket.

Lauren had given Loki a swift crash course in the art of Croquet before the children had taken over. Sara insisted he play with her as she was the very best at teaching. She’d taught her best friend Lily from school how to play as well.

Lauren hadn’t expected Loki to take to them as he had, but he’d been patient, kind, and relaxed.

They, in turn, had taken to Loki like flies to honey. Part of that, she figured, was due to the fact he talked to them like they were small adults. Everything they said was important, and though he often crouched to be closer to eye level with them, they didn’t seem to mind.

He listened very intently to all they had to say no matter how trivial.  Whether it was Sara’s loose tooth, or Benny’s scraped knee, talk of tea parties and tutus, or you trucks and critters, Loki appeared to hang on every word.

If he glanced at her once in a while for clarification on things he didn’t understand, she didn’t blame him. They chattered like happy magpies and almost as quickly.

But with every sweet interaction, with each boop of Sara’s nose or tug of her braid, with each ruffle of Benny’s hair, Lauren felt an answering tug in her heart. He was so good with them it made her heart ache to watch.

When he’d lifted Benny up after a particularly _brilliant_ shot and tossed him skyward, causing Benny to shriek with excitement, Lauren had her breath catch for two reasons.

The first was merely because _good sweet night_ he threw Benny a long way up! The second… Benny’s shaggy mop of dark curls was a very close match for Loki’s. Add in how the God of Mischief’s eyes were blue with happiness, lacking even a hint of his magic, and they could have been father and son.

She’d had to turn away, afraid he would hear the pounding of her speeding heart and know the longing which suddenly burst upon her. The idea of one day holding a child the two of them created together… it took her breath away.

Cissy, however, did not.

If anything it had Lauren sucking in more air to keep from laughing heartily at the miffed expression on her _dear sister’s_ face. “I’m afraid Loki and I spent most of the day down at the river.”

“A perfectly delightful experience,” Loki purred her direction, his eyes growing warm when she smiled.

“That it was, peaches.” Winking at him, Lauren wandered away from the balls and wickets toward Cissy, eyeing the tumbler full of amber liquid she was carrying. “Ain’t it a little early for drinking?” It was hardly even closing in on the dinner hour.

“Prude,” Cissy sniffed. “It’s never too early for scotch.”

Lauren crinkled her nose. “You could at least do better than the stuff daddy keeps on hand.”

“What would _you_ know of quality liquor?”

“I work for Tony Stark, Cissy. The man is a connoisseur of quality… everythin’. And every so often Thor shows up with somethin’ Asgardian. He doesn’t let us mere mortals try all of it, but they do make this really great fruit wine…” she trailed off when she noticed Cissy’s icy glare.

“Oh please, _Lauren_ , continue with all your braggin’. I so love hearin’ about all your big city adventures when I’m stuck in Podunk nowhere.” Venom leached from every syllable.

Taken aback, Lauren blushed and dropped her eyes to the flagstone of the patio. “I was just… you asked.”

Turning to face her, Cissy leaned closer. “Marabeth is right. You really are puttin’ on some fuckin’ high an’ mighty airs.”

“Priscilla Elizabeth! There are children present. You watch your mouth!” Lauren hissed glaring harshly at her sister.

Cissy’s chin jacked up definitely. “As I’m certain they’ve heard worse comin’ from the mouths of their own parents, you don’t have nothin’ to worry about… _sister._ ”

“That don’t mean you’ve got to make things worse by speakin’ the same filthy words!”  

“Oh, poo,” she simpered. “Have I offended your delicate sensibilities? Will you run off and cry in your room like you used to?”

“I’m not a child anymore, Cissy. Neither you nor Marabeth can bully me any longer, so keep your snide remarks to yourself!” Raising her own chin, Lauren stared her down until Cissy’s eyes widened in surprise and she looked away.

In a huff, Cissy bolted the last of her scotch. “No need to get your feathers in a flap.”

Ignoring her, Lauren watched Loki, and the kids continue on around the course with much laughter and giggling.

“How can he stand it, all that… _noise_?” Cissy sneered.

“Children are inherently noisy, Cissy.”

“Don’t be condescendin’, _Lauren_. I know the little brats are noisy, it’s why _I_ stay away. How can he stand it?” Before she could answer, Cissy kept on. “Someone of his refinement shouldn’t be forced into placating Marabeth’s spawn. Whatever were you thinkin’ makin’ him spend time with them?”

“He likes them!” Lauren snapped, annoyed with nearly every word of her rant. “And I didn’t _make_ Loki do anythin’!”

“He’s a _god_ , stupid! Why would you ever think he would want to do idiotic things like swim in our dirty river or play with the aggravatin’ little beasts?”

This time when Cissy turned on her, she took a step into Lauren forcing Lauren to retreat.

“You’re a fool,” Cissy said, keeping her voice low. “You aren’t now, and never will be worthy of a man like _him_. He’ll grow bored of you eventually. They always do, and I’ll be waitin’ to offer him solace when he can no longer stand you.”

Heart racing, Lauren lifted her fingers to her throat where the pendant rested. She felt the warmth fill her, his strength hers when she needed it. Once Cissy’s words would have had her doubting herself, had her questioning the man with her, but no more. “You’re wrong, Cissy.”

“Am I?” she snickered. “I saw the way he looked at me last night while I was standin’ in your doorway. He may have been diddlin’ you beneath the sheets, but it’s my body he wants. You probably don’t even know how to handle a man like that.”

“If I were you, Cissy, I’d walk away _real_ fast. I slapped Marabeth last night for talkin’ wrong about my _Ástvinur_. Push me, and you’ll feel the weight up my palm, too. Loki is _mine_! Your claims are nothin’ more than the deluded ravings of a jealous _bitch_!”

Setting her glass on the patio table, Cissy’s hand latched hard around Lauren’s arm. “Don’t threaten me, _Boo-Ho_ , or you’ll regret it the same way you did when we were younger.”

Lauren jerked at the long hated, horrid nickname which had haunted her through her middle and high school years. She had always been quick to cry, even now she still was. Gran had said it was because she had a soft heart, easily bruised but quick to heal and full of love. But her sisters had taken Gran’s affectionate term of Lulu and turned it against her.

“Don’t call me that, Priscilla.”

“Why not? It fits so well,” she sneered. “Always a crybaby. Couldn’t take a little teasin’ when you were a scrawny brat, can’t take it now. Maybe nothin’s changed after all.”

“Stop it!” Lauren snapped.

“Make me,” Cissy said, eyes gleaming brightly and breath foul with alcohol. “Give me what I want, and I’ll quit.”

Not being stupid, Lauren shook her head. Cissy would quit, but only until the next time Cissy wanted something from her, then she would start up all over again if Lauren paid her off this time. And Lauren knew precisely what Cissy wanted. “I’m not givin’ you the belt.”

“But I want it!”

The pressure on Lauren’s arm increased. “It’s gone! Loki changes my clothes on a whim. The belt’s gone!”

“Then I’ll have this instead.” Cissy grabbed for the _brúðr steinn_ , but her hand never made contact.

Holding Cissy’s wrist in an iron grip, Loki bared his teeth in an angry snarl. “Take your hand from my _Ástvinur_ before I take it from you permanently!” 

Cissy whimpered but let go. Loki only jerked her around, dragging her up by both wrists so that she was firmly caught against him. They were nose to nose when he spoke in soft, deadly tones. “If I ever see you touch my beloved in that manner again, I will not hesitate to use you to test the sharpness of my knives.”

Lauren had never seen him so angry. Not even with George had he been this deep into a cold rage. His voice was no louder than his normal speaking tone, but it was somehow much scarier than when he’d roared his anger at her ex and broken his arm.

“But I swear by the nine realms, if you so much as _think_ of taking the _brúðr steinn_ from around Lauren’s neck,” he let go with one hand to cup and squeeze Cissy’s chin, causing pain and fear to fill her sister’s eyes, “I will wring your _neck_ , and I will do so without remorse.”

“Loki!” Lauren gasped.

His head turned slowly to show the red which was beginning to colour his eyes. “She seeks to take what belongs to you, my heart. What will only ever belong to you. That is unacceptable!”

“I’m sorry!” Cissy whimpered, her feet scrabbling, toes barely touching the ground. “I won’t do it again!”

He returned attention to Cissy, tilted her chin up, and forced her to meet his eyes. “You cause all this pain to one you claim as family, one you’ve tormented for years. Lauren _loved_ you, has always loved you, but you treat her like she is less than the dirt on the sole of your shoe. I pity you, foolish mortal. You’ve allowed the hatred of another to cloud your own judgement and turn you from the truth with lies.” Giving Cissy a shove which sent her stumbling, Loki sneered, “Get out of my sight.”

Tears of fear were streaming from Cissy’s eyes when she ran back inside the house.

“What did you just do?” Lauren whispered horror in every word.

“I stood up for you.” Loki turned to face her.

“Yes, and then threatened to kill my sister!” Lauren shouted before remembering the children. Shooting a look their direction, she found a second Loki playing with them.

“I left an avatar and shielded them from this confrontation.”

When he reached for her, Lauren jerked backward. “No.”

Growling low, Loki simply materialized behind her, trapping her in his arms when she struggled. “Stop and listen!” he hissed.

Unable to escape, Lauren complied though she wasn’t happy about it.

“Yes, I threatened your sister. On any given day I threaten a number of people. Would I actually go through with their killing? Doubtful. The threat is often enough to get my point across.”

“And this time?” Lauren asked. “I’ve never seen you so angry, Loki.”

“No one takes what is yours, my love. No one. And no one touches the _brúðr steinn_. Should someone try to take it from you by force, I would gut them where they stand. It is _yours_! Foraged by my hand for you in the flames of Valhalla! A _brúðr steinn_ is a sacred gift among my people. On Asgard, no one would even think to disparage my gift, look at it with loathing, or dare try to remove it from your neck. It is sacrilege and would see them dead at my feet should they try.”

“This ain’t Asgard, Loki!” When he spun her around, she was shocked by the state of him.

Eyes wild, skin tingeing blue, he looked near to breaking.

“I know that!” he roared. His hands opened and closed on Lauren's arms as if he wanted to shake her but wasn’t willing to hurt her by doing so. “I am holding myself back, my love. Holding on by a thread, but you are my _Ástvinur_! My very heart, Lauren! There are rules and actions and instincts which have been engraved in me since I was old enough to sit at Odin’s knee and hear the tales of our ancestors. There are things I must do, and protecting you, even against your own family, is one of those things!” He released her to pace away, thrusting his hands through his hair.

Coming to a stop a few feet from her, he let his arms drop to his sides. His shoulders bowed, the weight heavy upon them. “If that means I must threaten the family that picks away at your soul with each interaction, then I will do so… even if you hate me for it.”

She moved toward him and slipped her arms around his waist, letting her head fall to his back. “I don’t hate you, Loki. I may not like that you threatened Cissy, and I’d be really, really angry if you hurt her…”

“But?” he asked, voice full of hope.

“I could never hate you, peaches.” Lauren rubbed her hands up and down his torso. “You surprised me. I knew you could hear what she was sayin’, but when you didn't come over… I thought…”

“Thought what?”

“That you trusted me to handle it.” She deflated and took a step back. “Guess I was wrong.”

“Lauren.” Loki took her in his arms. “I do trust you, and I did believe you were handling it. It was why I stayed with the children. They did not seem inclined toward their aunt. Now I know why.” He tilted her chin up. “It was only once she tried to take this from you that I needed to step in.”

When he traced his finger over the branches around her throat, Lauren shivered. “What is the _brúðr steinn_ really, Loki?”

He smiled, full and genuine. “It is my pledge, my public declaration you are mine, courted by me and under my protection. It will keep you safe, guide me to you should you ever be lost or taken. It is my very heart,” he leaned closer, till his mouth was an inch from hers, “as you are my very heart.”

Sighing, Lauren lifted up on her toes and kissed him, her heart much too full to keep such love to herself. When they parted, he’d calmed, and she smiled before the small giggle interrupted. Looking down at the beaming face of Sara, Lauren blushed. “I thought you were playin’, sugar cube?”

“Was.” She giggled again, hand covering her mouth. “Then Loki disappeared, and he was over here with you.”

An exasperated sigh left Loki’s lips. “You are far too distracting, Lauren. I keep losing my focus.”

“Guess it’s a good thing you don’t have me around when you’re workin’.” Laughing, Lauren patted his chest.

“Loki?”

“Yes, precious?” he asked, smiling at Sara.

She reached out and took his hand, tugging a little to get him to come closer. When he did, crouching down for her, she crooked her fingers on her opposite hand to have him come even closer.

“What is it, little dove?”

Watching intently, Lauren tried hard not to have her heart burst from her chest with how adorable they looked, dark head and light tipped together as they were. Sara brought her hand to her mouth, glanced shyly at Lauren, and proceeded to whisper in Loki’s ear.

“Well, that would depend, Lady Sara.”

“Oh,” the little girl’s face fell. “On what?”

“On whether your aunt would want to be one.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Sara asked, eyes shocked. “I would! It would be ever so nice!”

“Ah yes, but your aunt likes her quiet life. We wouldn’t wish to disrupt that now would we?”

Sara shook her head. “I guess not. Still, if she wanted to, would she be one?”

Chuckling, Loki nodded. “Yes, precious. She would most certainly be one.”

A smile blossomed along with Sara’s erupting squeal of excitement. “Would _I_ be one?”

“I’m afraid not. It doesn’t work that way.”

Pouting, she crossed her arms. “That seems unfair.”

“Very,” he answered seriously. “But I was not the one to make the rules.”

“Who did?” she demanded.

“Oh, some stuffy old king, I am certain.”

“Could the now king make new rules?”

The look of eternal mischief and trouble crossed Loki’s face with his devious smile. “You could certainly petition the new king. Most definitely.”

“What’s pet... petition mean?”

“It means you’d have to make a reasonable argument with my brother Thor. Explain to him why the rule is unfair, and ask him to change it.”

“Loki…” Lauren cautioned, thoroughly confused but knowing he was making trouble of some kind for Thor. “What are you up to, peaches?”

He held up his hand to get her to wait. “Could you do that?”

Nodding enthusiastically, Sara leaned forward and kissed Loki on the cheek. “I can! I will! Thank you!” Spinning on her heel, she skipped back over to where Benny had gone from putting balls through wickets to simply whacking the balls around.

“Alright, spill. What mischief did you just make for your brother? What in the world did she ask you?”

Getting back up, grin wide and full of wicked delight, Loki wrapped his arms around Lauren’s waist. “Smart little Sara was wondering if I, a prince of Asgard, were to marry her aunt if you would then become a _princess_ of Asgard.”

“What?” Lauren whispered, staring up at Loki like he’d grown a second head. “I would… what?”

“Only if you wished it.” He shrugged. “Well, technically even if you didn’t the title would still be yours, but no one would force you to do anything about it. If and when we went to Asgard they would defer to you as your highness, but that is neither the here nor there of it.”

Lauren’s palm closed over his mouth. “Stop talkin’ before I pass out,” she wheezed.

He rolled his eyes and removed her hand. “Don’t be foolish. You had to have at least thought of it? If a seven-year-old could make the connection surely you did.”

“No, no… I don’t think… nope… nu uh,” Lauren gasped. She’d never once even had her thoughts drift that direction.

“Darling,” Loki cupped her cheeks, “take a breath. It is unimportant. We would be rarely seen on Asgard, though I am quite certain the people would adore you. And it is not as if the people here treat me with the deference my title implies so very little would change.”

She looked up into his laughing eyes and gave him a gentle swat. “Warn a girl before you go makin’ such declarations! You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

With a laugh, he hugged her close and lifted her off her feet for a short second. “Hence the reason I told Sara only if you wished it. I think she thinks you would be mad not to accept your title… _Princess_ Lauren.”

“I’m not one for the spotlight, Loki,” Lauren said. “Besides, this,” she looked at her ring, “still not really real. After all, it ain’t like you ever properly _asked_ me to marry you,” she teased.

“Is that a hint, my love?” His arched brow and curious expression made her laugh.

“No, _elskan min._ I think two days might be a little quick of a courtship even by today’s standards.”

“One could argue it has been three.” Another sly grin curled his lips.

“Well then, by all means, that makes it completely socially acceptable.”

“Such cheek in you.” Smirking, he nipped into her lower lip.

She gave him a saucy wink. “I know how much you like it.”

“That I do, minx.” The rumble of a near growl vibrated against where she was pressed to him.

Lauren carded her hands through his hair, enjoying the quiet moment even with all the teasing. “What was so unfair?”

“Ah, yes. It seems Sara is quite put out by the fact she will not be a princess by association as your niece.”

Eyes widening, Lauren inhaled sharply before bursting out laughing. Her head fell to his chest when she couldn’t get control of her giggles. “So you set her on Thor?”

“Indeed I did,” Loki said smugly. “He will get to disappoint her by denying her entry into princess-hood, and I will be able to retain my title as the _fun_ one of the two of us.”

“Oh, that’s terrible… and not very smart of you.” Lifting her head, Lauren shook it continuing to fight her giggles.

“I beg your pardon? It was genius!”

Turning so she could see Sara and Benny playing, Lauren motioned toward them. “You just set the most fearsome, yet somehow still adorable little girl on the biggest suck of the entire team. Your brother will take one look at her enormous eyes, quiverin’ lip, and sad face and cave like a house of cards!”

Loki stiffened as the implications took root. “Fuck…” he hissed quietly, causing Lauren to snort out a new round of giggles. “You think this is _so_ funny, don’t you?”

She nodded, continuing to laugh and hold her middle.

***

Once again Loki found himself seated at the dining table, but the group was much subdued from the previous time. He’d been concerned for Lauren, seated across from her mother, but he shouldn’t have been. Magnolia was not present, and Lauren had explained it was typical when her mother was planning an event. The night before she spent it aggressively going over all her lists, plans, and preparations to see everything was perfect.

The Annandale Fourth of July gala was the unofficial start of summer for the town of Greenville. Everything had to go off without a hitch or Magnolia wouldn’t take it well.

Loki was sorely tempted to see things went horribly wrong, but that would not make Lauren happy, and right now, his Lauren needed happy.

Dinner was not a happy, joyful occasion. It was not even the mildly annoying ones he’d sat through with his teammates. It was certainly not the loud, boisterous ones of Asgard where food and drink flowed in abundance.

This was stilted conversation laced with underlying meaning. Marabeth and Samuel had clearly not solved their differences, each one sniping at the other when they weren’t trying to belittle Lauren. Hoyt appeared lost to it all, steadily drinking, ignoring the food on his plate and looking the worse for it.  

Cissy sat next to Marabeth tonight casting fearful glances his way and hate-filled ones at Lauren.

But it was the question thrown at him from across the table which had Loki wondering at the gall of these people.

“How much do you make annually as an Avenger?” The question had come from Samuel, who looked entirely too impressed with himself for it.

“What need of I for money?” Loki asked, sipping from the relatively decent glass of wine.

“So you don’t get paid?” Samuel asked.

“I did not say that. I asked what need I have of money. Anything I wish can be created at the snap of my fingertips.”

Samuel stuffed in a mouthful of the tender roast Sue Ann had prepared. Loki could see why she was a sought-after chef for she was talented, watching Lauren’s brother-in-law eat it, however, was akin to watching a cow masticate. It was close to being nauseating.

“I’m curious how much of my tax dollars are going to line the pockets of a man who has _no use_ for money.”

“Samuel!” Lauren gasped. “That’s uncalled for! And as for tax dollars, The Avengers aren’t paid by the American people. They are funded by Stark allowing them to remain impartial. They don’t take money for helpin’ people cause they don’t ever want someone to say they were _bribed_ for their assistance.”

Samuel’s eyes swept up, narrowed behind his glasses. “Must be nice to be richer than Christ almighty. Lettin’ all these supposed _heroes_ live off him.”

“Samuel!” Lauren snapped. “They are good people doin’ the impossible on a regular basis! You’d do well to remember that.”

Loki only patted her hand. “Do not fret, darling. The team is more than capable of defending themselves from the naysayers. In fact, I doubt Stark would put much stock in anything your brother-in-law in his plebeian brain has to say.”

Pushing back from the table, Samuel stood to his feet. “Once I’m governor of this state he’ll have to listen.”

“Why?” Loki asked.

“Because I will be governor!”

“So? You are not… _governor_ of his state.”

He pounded his fist down on the table, making plates and stemware jump. “One day I will run for President, and when I’m elected-”

“I think you mean _if_. I may not understand your politics as well as I do my own, but I assure you, it will be a warm day on Jötunheim before you are elected leader of this nation.”

“Is that a threat?”

Loki waved a dismissive hand. “It is a statement of fact. Take it as you wish.”

“You know nothin’ about me!”

Loki picked up his wine glass and rolled the stem back and forth between his forefinger and thumb. “Oh, I know enough to know any sort of scandal would seriously damage your run for governor.” Sipping he watched Samuel over the edge of his glass with an air of amusement. “Now… what was her name?” He pursed his lips in thought. “Oh yes, _Crystal_ isn’t it?”

The colour drained from Samuel’s face.

Red quickly suffused Marabeth’s when she rose to her feet, sending her chair sailing over backward to the floor. “Leash you mongrel, Lauren!”

Closing his hand over Lauren’s fist, Loki tsked softly. “I hate to disappoint you, pigeon, but I am all _wolf_.” He smiled a full bearing of teeth Marabeth’s direction, showing a set of nice and sharp elongated canines. When the colour drained from her face, Loki closed his lips. 

Storming from the room, Marabeth left, Samuel following close behind.

Cissy whose demeanour had stayed relatively contrite bolted from the room as soon as he looked her direction. “It seems I have quite offended your family, my love. Pity.”

“Put them in their place is more like it,” muttered Hoyt.

“Daddy?” Lauren asked.

Leaning forward, Hoyt reached out and touched her hand. “I owe you an apology, Lauren.”

“What?” she whispered, surprise in every syllable.

Loki watched the man age before his eyes. He went from large and hard to small, almost frail with a breath and a heartbeat.

“This family has been out of hand for a long time. I’m… sorry I didn’t do nothin’ about it when you were younger. Your mama… she’s not an easy woman at the best of times, but she had you girls and… things changed.” He shook his head. “That’s no excuse for letting them get on you all the time. Never could understand what drove them to it. Then I found out about Magnolia and…” he cleared his throat, looked away.

“You knew about George?” Horror laced Lauren’s words. “And you were tryin’ to shove me back at him!”

“No!” Hoyt clutched at her when she tried to pull away. “No, I didn’t know nothin’ about… about Montgomery till last night. I’d never…” he shook his head. “I was supposed to be at the club, forgot my wallet, came back only to find her comin’... comin’ from his room.”

“Oh, oh _daddy_!” Lauren gripped his hand.

“Things with your mother haven’t been good for a long time. Long time. We’ve each had our fair share of… mistakes, but that was… and he was… I’m sorry, little girl.”

“It’s okay, daddy. I understand.”

Loki sure as hell didn’t. “Sorry is all well and fine, but you allowed a child of yours to be abused in this house by her own sisters!”

“Loki!” Lauren bit out.

“No, no, he’s right, peaches. I was a crappy father. Now I’ve had to watch two of my daughters muck up their lives. I won’t watch a third make the same mistakes.” Hoyt looked from Lauren to Loki. “You’re one scary son’ bitch when you wanna be, but I can tell you only want the best for my Lauren. At every turn, you step between her and the rest, doin’ what I should have been doin’ all her life. If you’re who makes her happy, then I ain’t going to stand in her way.”  

Still, Loki eyed Hoyt. “I wish to know why? Why you allowed this to happen?”

“Loki, that’s not necessary.” Lauren shook her head.

“I’m afraid it is, my sweet. The bullying is one thing, but the stealing, the violence of your elder sister, none of it is excusable.”

“Loki!” she protested.

“There’s no one to blame but me,” Hoyt spoke, overriding Lauren’s protests. “At first it was work, takin’ care of this family and its fortune is harder than you’d think. Then, like I said, your mama ain’t no peach to deal with on her best day, but after she had Marabeth she became… obsessive. She was so… crazy with everythin’ it was easier to simply nod and give her what she wanted than to fight her on the trivial things. Then, trivial wasn’t trivial anymore. When we had you, I thought she’d settle down some but… things got worse. Then Cissy and… I stopped tryin’ to be involved where I wasn’t wanted.”

“I wanted you,” Lauren whispered, tears tracking her cheeks. “I wanted you, but all I got was mama tellin’ me I wasn’t good enough, pretty enough, smart enough.”

“I know, little girl.”

“And you always took mama’s side. Always believed Cissy or Marabeth when I was the one tellin’ the truth.”

“I’m not proud of what I let happen, Lauren.”

Lauren pushed back from the table and got to her feet. “I… need to think about this…” she glanced down at Loki, “alone.”

Heart aching for her, Loki nodded, stroked his fingers down her arm, and watched her walk away looking hurt and confused. She’d made a snap judgement to forgive, but he knew her well enough to know she would want the why, and if the why wasn’t an answer she could understand and forgive, the forgiveness already offered would eat at her.

He returned his attention to Hoyt and drained the rest of his wine. “I do not understand you humans. You force yourselves to suffer in these loveless marriages built on wealth and lies and wonder why you are miserable. Asgardians have millennium together, and _we_ certainly would not suffer to live with a shrew of a woman. Your lives are but drops in the sea compared to ours. Staying together is a mistake.”

“Leavin’ isn’t that easy,” Hoyt sighed.

Having once heard the Captain waxing poetic on the virtues of lost love, Loki muttered, “Take it from someone who knows. Don’t wait. You never know what happiness may await you if you only reach for it. This,” he motioned toward where Lauren had been, “was only the start. You are the patriarch of this family. Odin would have never tolerated this kind of behaviour.”

“And what would Odin have done about it?”

Loki shook his head. “I cannot tell you that. I was always the one on the receiving end of Odin’s displeasure. I was his… son after all.” Shaking his head, Loki smirked a grin before getting up and leaving Hoyt alone.

For all his protestations to the later, all the times he’d denied kinship, Loki had come to a startling and long overdue conclusion tonight. He was a son of Odin. No matter how he fought against it, no matter how he refused to acknowledge the truth, in his own mind he often referenced what Odin would or wouldn’t do.

He’d grown up under Odin’s tutelage, under his rules. Though he didn’t abide by all of them, Loki still lived beneath _most_ of the moral code Odin had tried to impart.

He was an Odinson, how ironic.

Chuckling softly, though he wished to go in search of Lauren, he knew from the feel of her _brúðr steinn_ she was conflicted but alright, walking the balcony beyond their bedroom door.

But in another part of the house, two small voices cried out in distress.

“The children,” he snarled and raced for the stairs.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Minor abuse, minor violence, French which may or may not be correct, Smut, NSFW

 

* * *

He crossed his arms and leaned casually against the door frame, stating loudly, “Such a ruckus so late in the evening. Why I am certain, not even the crows of Asgard are so noisy.” He may be seeing through a haze of red, ready to gut the woman who was the spitting image of her own abusive and unloving mother, but he would do nothing to make the children Lauren loved fear him.

Marabeth, dressed still in one of her boring suits, hair askew and makeup smeared, straightened quickly. Her head snapped around to level a look his way. “Children can be unruly. My apologies if they disturbed you.”

It was not the children but the garish woman herself who disturbed him. “Children are children. It is in their nature to be loud and often sticky.” He tilted his head, smiling for Sara. Her eyes showed no fear, only anger and a desire to protect her brother. A surge of pride filled him for she was strong, resilient, and a fighter. “I am sure your aunt would be happy to read to you again this evening. Collect a book, darlings and head for her room.”

Sara’s eyes lit up. “C’mon, Benny!” She jerked away from her mother, grabbed the same book as yesterday, took her brother’s hand and scurried out of the room past Loki before her mother could stop them.

The boy looked up at him with big eyes full of relief as he passed. Loki wanted nothing more than to skin the mother who’d put such a look on Benny’s face. 

He moved through the door and shut it gently at his back, listening as the little feet hurried away. He let his eyes wander over the wrinkled, ill-fitting suit, the hair falling out of her coiffure, and the smear of mascara on Marabeth’s cheek.

The longer he looked at her, the more her interest piqued. Her assumption that he would _ever_ look at her with any sort of desire was appalling. But, such seemed the nature of the women in this family; besides his Lauren of course.

Neither Cissy nor Marabeth seemed able to comprehend there was a man alive who would have zero interest in them. At least Magnolia had the good sense to be afraid of him, but she’d been so invested in Montgomery, she hadn’t bothered to look Loki’s direction.

He glided forward, coming to a stop inches from the woman. “There is a special place in Asgard for people such as you.” A piece of hair had slipped free of her tight coil of hair. Loki lifted his hand and tucked it back behind her ear.

“Hard workin’ and underappreciated mothers?” She quivered at his closeness, filling him with revulsion when the lust rolled off her.

“How precious,” Loki tsked, keeping his abhorrence at bay when she dragged her nail down his chest. He took her chin in his hand and waited. When her eyes drifted to his, he was unable to stop the sneer from twisting his lips at her seductive smile. “You truly believe _you_ are a good mother?”

Her face fell, anger replacing her desire in an instant. When she tried to pull away, he merely held her still with a wave of his other hand.

“It is not in my nature to give warnings. I’m much more inclined to… _act,_ and then seek forgiveness, but as Lauren is my _Ástvinur_ , and for some strange reason she still sees you as her sister even after all the horrendous things you have done to her, I shall be lenient this _one_ time. But know this, _Marabeth_. Hear me and acknowledge my vow. If you so much as raise a hand to those children out of anger ever again not even Fenrir, the wolf of Ragnarok, will be able to stop me from seeking retribution on their behalf.” There was not nearly enough concern or fear in her eyes for Loki’s liking, her face speaking only of outrage.

“You’ve got no right to tell me how to deal with _my_ children!” she hissed, spitting like an angry cat.

Too bad she was up against a wolf and didn’t even know it.

Loki smiled, dark and wicked, letting his magic glow in his eyes as he closed his hand around her throat. “Perhaps, but are you really willing to find out how far I will go to protect those I deem mine to keep safe? You saw what I did to Montgomery for even daring to _touch_ Lauren.” In a macabre mimicry of a lover’s embrace, he cupped her face and caressed her cheek with his thumb all while squeezing her throat a little tighter. “And do you know where he is now, my silly little pigeon? Has your _mama_ been around to cry her woes to the daughter most likely to pretend to care?” The fear was finally starting to crowd out her madness, her inability to move scaring her when his anger had not.

“What did you do?” she whispered, her eyes widening.

“Oh, darling. Who says I did anything?” He smiled darkly when he looked her in the eyes.

“You killed him!” she accused.

It made him laugh. “Montgomery is not dead, _pigeon_ , but he certainly won’t be returning.” He cut off the circulation to her jugular with a press of his thumb. “If he knows what’s good for him, he will stay away,” Loki whispered menacingly.

Panic was slowly filling her eyes, and he revelled in it.

“Now, silly pigeon, if you are as smart as your career implies, you will know better than to mess with my Lauren or the children she adores. What issues you have in your marriage are not their fault. Take out your frustrations on them again, and I will show you no mercy.” He released her throat as he stepped back, tucked one hand in his pocket, and ambled toward the door. “Oh, and pigeon? If you speak a word of this… hm, _discussion_ to anyone, you will never speak another word again.” He let the curse rest in the palm of his hand before flicking the ball of green magic at her chest. 

It slammed into her, knocked her off her feet and down on the edge of Sara’s small bed.

“What did you just do to me?” Freed of confinement, she sat grasping at her chest.

“I set the curse. You try to speak of this,” he motioned between them, “conversation in any way and you will never speak another word. An extreme failing in one who fights with words for her livelihood. Isn’t that right, pigeon?”

She snarled, anger and fear mixed in her eyes. “Why do you keep callin’ me that?”

Hand on the doorknob, Loki trailed his eyes over her in much the same manner she had him at their introduction, assessing her like she was nothing more than a thing to be valued. “You are just so… _plain_ in comparison to my Lauren. While she is a swan, graceful, elegant, and refined, you remind me of the vermin which roost upon the ledges of Stark tower. Plain, petty, and annoying. Nothing more than a pest to be eradicated. You are _nothing_ in comparison to my Lauren. A pigeon seems fitting.” He walked from the room, heading for Lauren’s, and smirked when the cry of rage rippled from the woman left behind.

With a snap of his fingers, he removed Marabeth from the children’s room, dropping her back in her own. Samuel had long since left the house so her sudden appearance wouldn’t be witnessed. Loki wouldn’t put it past the crazy woman to do damage to the children’s things in retribution for his actions. If she destroyed her own belongings, well, he cared not a whit.

He made his way swiftly toward the children only to round a corner and nearly run Sara down. “Darling? I thought you were going to wait in your Aunt’s room?”

She clutched at her arm, her nightdress one covered in pink unicorns with her hair loose around her shoulders. Her lower lip quivered. Ocean blue eyes watered with unshed tears. “Mama doesn’t like me.”

His heart simply shattered.

Loki dropped to his knees and swept her into his arms, holding her tight as tiny sobs wet his shoulder. “I’m sorry, little dove,” he murmured stroking her hair. At a loss, Loki, for once, had no idea what to say. 

What could he say? Sara was not a fool. She might be young, but she was not stupid. There was no way she couldn’t see the resentment Marabeth held against both her children and her husband. The woman was heinous and cruel, caring not for those she hurt with her words and actions. The strong feelings of repulsion he had against Lauren’s eldest sister became a hatred so intense, he had to glance at his hands to be assured he hadn’t lost his glamour.

Sara’s small arms wrapped around his neck, her face tucked against his jaw, and she _snuggled_ into him in a move only Lauren had ever mimicked. It set him on his heels. The trust of this small, fragile child was so complete he was stunned beyond words. Loki breathed in the scent of her bath as he held her with gentle hands. It reminded him of flowers, soft and sweet, and just like Sara.

“My arm hurts,” she whimpered.

“Does it? Let me see, precious.”

She pulled back, leaving her one arm wrapped behind his neck and held the other out for his inspection.

“That does look like it hurts. May I fix it for you, darling?”

“Can you?” She blinked, her wet lashes splaying over her cheeks.

He tilted his head in acknowledgement and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I can. Watch.” Curling his fingers over the dark bruises left by the hand of her mother, Loki let green tendrils of magic wick over her skin. When he pulled his hand away, her skin was unblemished once more. “How’s that feel?”

“It’s all better!” she chirped, her face brightening. Placing her hand on his cheek, she peered into his eyes. “Thank you, Loki.”

“You are welcome, Lady Sara. Now, why didn’t you go to your Aunt’s room with your brother?” Loki got to his feet, keeping the child right where she was, right where he knew she was safe and wandered slowly toward their destination.

Her head fell to his shoulder. “Wanted to wait for you.”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because why, precious?” He bit back a smile, finding her evasion cute rather than irritating.

She sighed. “Mama hit Angie.”

“Angie was your caregiver before this, yes?”

“Yes. I was worried mama would hurt you.”

He tsked in dismay. “Your mother can’t hurt me, my little dove. She has not the power to do so.”

“She told Angie she’d make her life… _hell_ ,” Sara whispered the word like it was a secret, or perhaps simply a bad one she wasn't yet allowed to speak, “if Angie told anyone.”

“And where was your father in all this?”

“Busy,” she sighed. “Daddy’s always busy. He doesn’t like us much either.”

“I’m sure they love you in their own way, precious.”

She snorted out a sound which, had it come from an adult, would have amounted to _yeah right_.

“What about your grandmother or grandfather?” he asked, gently patting her back.

“Meemaw is high maintenance, that’s what Pawpaw says. She makes us do… _stuff_ , and call her _Magnolia_.”

The disgust in her voice made Loki snicker. “What is _stuff_?”

Her head lifted from his shoulder. Her face twisted, and she stuck out her tongue. “Piano lessons, dance lessons. I have to learn _languages_.”

He chuckled and tapped her nose. “I speak many languages. If you learn a few, perhaps we could converse together?”

“Really?” Her face brightened.

“Indeed. I would be happy to. What have you learned so far?”

A red flush infused her cheeks. “Um… _Je pense... que tes cheveux... sont beaux_.”

He smiled at her stumbling French. “I think your hair is very pretty as well.”

Her fingers tangled in his. “It’s silky. Like a kitty.”

“And yours is as soft as a baby rabbit’s tail. It is very like your Aunt Lauren’s.”

She giggled, her eyes lowering as shyness overcame her. Her opposite hand went to her hair, and she twirled a lock around her finger. “You think so?”

“Oh yes. You are the spitting image of your Aunt.” Sauntering into Lauren’s bedroom, he found Benny seated on her sofa, his arm around the bear and thumb in his mouth. “And you, young Ben, are you alright?”

He nodded, eyes sombre. “Mama yelled at Sawra,” he slurred around the appendage lodged in his mouth.

“I know,” Loki said, sitting on the couch and shifting Sara to his knee.

“Mama yelled at me first,” Benny pouted. “She mean.”

Loki held his tongue, refusing to confirm or deny the child’s pronouncement when he, too, thought their mother was mean.

As Lauren was still absent, he decided a change of subject was in order. Looking between the two wide-eyed faces, he encouraged Benny closer. “How about that story?”

“Yes, please!” they chirped together, Benny handing over the book.

He peered down at the fuzzy cover, cocked a brow, and glanced at the fireplace. “I have a better idea. Why don’t I tell you a story of Asgard, tonight?”

“Are there princesses?” asked Sara.

“Are there sword fights?” asked Benny.

Loki rolled his wrist and tossed a small ball of green magic at the fireplace. Flames without heat and without smoke writhed among its stones. “I shall tell you a story of my ancestors, of gods and goddesses. Watch the flames and see the tale unfold.” He flicked his fingers at the flames and set them dancing, and told a story he’d heard so many times he knew it by heart.

***

Loki looked up when Lauren walked in from the balcony. “Darling,” he murmured, his voice low.

“Loki?” she whispered, peering curiously at the children asleep on the couch and against his side.

“There was an incident with their mother. Once it was resolved, I told them a story, and they dozed off here. I did not feel like moving them.” He did not feel like returning them to a space where Marabeth could get to them.

He closed his book and shifted his body out from beneath Sara, letting her settle flat to the couch. He hummed, displeased at their sleeping arrangements and waved his hand, letting his magic wash out to create a much nicer bed in which they could rest comfortably together.

Lauren’s arms came round his waist. “That was sweet of you. You didn’t have to tell them a story.”

“I did it because I wished to. Do not let Cissy’s assumptions from earlier today colour your vision, my love.” He tugged her around, bringing her against his chest where she rested her head against his shoulder. “No one can _force_ me to do anything I do not wish to. You of all people should know that.”

She sighed, settling further into him. “What happened with Marabeth?”

“There was an argument. The children were upset.” He trailed his hand down her spine, not wanting to elaborate.

“Loki… just tell me.” She pulled away to walk back out the doors into the night.

With a sigh, he followed. “After you left the table I spoke a few more moments with your father. Even before that, I could hear the argument between your sister and her husband. She is insisting he break things off with his mistress. He does not wish to. She threatened to leave him. He said she wouldn’t dare. Something about the scandal ruining her career.” He shrugged, not understanding that line of reasoning. “Then Samuel left to go see his lover, further angering your sister.”

Lauren rested her hands on the railing, leaned against it and sighed. “Marabeth’s always been one to reach for the stars. Likely, they’re lookin’ at her for a seat on the bench. Make her a judge.”

“Who would be stupid enough to do that?” he scoffed, walking up behind her and caging her against the railing.

“I told you. She’s very good at makin’ people see only what she wants them to. She can twist words to her advantage and lies with ease. She’ll tell you the grass is blue and make you believe you’re colorblind if that’s what it takes to get what she wants.”

“She cannot lie to me, my heart.” Loki traced his lips over her bare shoulder.

“Then you would be the exception, Loki, not the rule. What happened with the kids?”

“Her anger at Samuel boiled over. She got upset with Benny for the thumb she found in his mouth. Sara stepped between them and was punished for it.”

Lauren’s entire body stiffened, a combination of outrage and shock. “She hurt the babies?”

He wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and pressed his face against her neck. “They are alright, darling. They are safe.”

She took a shuddering breath and turned to face him. “For how long, though?” Tears sparkled on her lashes. “She never used to be this way. Snide words and harsh comments, sure, but _hittin’_? Takin’ it out on the kids?” She shook her head. “What happened to her?”

Her whole body tensed as if she were about to explode, and Loki held her tighter, placing a soothing kiss on her temple. “She will not lay a hand on them again, my heart. She cares not about them, but we do. We will see they are safe.”

“Loki, this ain’t Asgard where you can just decree somethin’, and it comes to be,” she sighed.

Maybe it wasn’t, but there were still things he could do, safeguards he could put in place. He had options. “For the moment, they are protected. The rest will come with time.” When she made to protest, he cupped her cheek and shushed her gently. “Trust me, my sweet.”

“Fine,” she huffed, “I already do anyway.”

While that declaration filled him with joy, he ignored it for the moment to ask, “And you, love? How are you feeling?”

Her hands slid up his arms to link behind his neck. “Confused. Conflicted. Angry.” Breathing out, she let her forehead drop to his chest. “Hurt…”

“I learned something about myself tonight, something I have been avoiding for a very long time. I came to the conclusion where there is hurt, there is love. The betrayal I felt at Odin’s deception, the hurt and resentment, though I still believe justified, only proves what I have fought against for so long.” He gave her hair a little tug to get her to lift her chin and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I am still his son. I may hate what he has done, but I can no longer deny that he is my father. He could only hurt me as he did because I… love him.”

“Loki,” she breathed out in awe.

He smiled but shook his head. “Your father’s actions hurt you because you love him, Lauren. After speaking with him tonight, I truly believe he regrets his inaction. What he will do from here, I couldn’t hazard to guess, but do not let the hurt you are feeling deprive you of the relationship you could have… like I did.”

“Oh, Loki,” she sighed, bringing her hands to his face. “Are you alright, peaches?”

“This isn’t about me, _elskan min_ , but you.”

“Still, that’s a pretty big revelation. You sure you’re okay?”

Loki sighed and sank his fingers into her mass of curls. “I have… regrets.”

She smiled a soft, gentle smile and caressed his cheek, causing him to lean into her hand. “To regret is part of life. Part of learnin’. It’s what you do with those regrets that make you who you are.”

“My regrets have brought me you. Perhaps I do not regret them so much, now.”

“Sweet talker.” The radiance of her smile grew.

“I believe you called me silver-tongued, did you not?”

“Silver-tongued _devil_ ,” she quipped.

“Ah yes, that was part of it, wasn’t it?” He backed her into the balcony railing with a wicked grin, pinning her there with his body. “If I am a devil, perhaps I should play the part?”

“You’re always playin’ the part!” she laughed.

“Only because there is an angel who tempts me to mischief at every turn.” With a tug of her hair, he had her head tilted up and back, throat bared, lips parted, and sealed his mouth to hers in a decadent kiss. It was like sipping from the finest vintage of Asgardian wine.

The soft sigh which slipped from her lips, the way she softened against him, and the clutch of her hands as they returned to his hair had him instantly aroused. The hand he’d kept at her waist skimmed up to find her breast, brush it tenderly. His thumb found the peak of her slowly beading nipple and rubbed it, just enough pressure to enhance her pleasure.

He lifted his mouth from hers, an action which caused her to whimper in displeasure, then took his teeth to the long expanse of her bared throat. “You look lovelier than the stars, my heart. More radiant than the moon. You are,” he skimmed his lips along her jaw, back to her ear, “simply beautiful, my Valkyrie.”

“Loki.” She clutched at him, pressed her body into his. Eyes of darkening green peered up at him from behind long lashes. “Can you really keep people from seein’ what we’re up to?”

Excitement blazed through him. “Indeed I can.”

“Then I think you should take me to our bed and prove it.” Her eyes gleamed, wicked and glorious.

He swept her off her feet. Loki returned them to the bedroom with quick strides. Magic flicked out in whips and curls, creating layer upon layer of sheer fabric to hang about the bed. More magic guarded the doors, leaving the balcony one open to the night air but sealing out vermin, of both insect and human varieties. Around the children, he placed a shield which would blur them from sight, keep noise to a minimum, but allow him to know if they stirred in the night.

When he reached the foot of the now enclosed bed, he set Lauren gently on her feet. He gazed at her for a long moment, sultry eyes and flushed skin, before reaching for the clip in her hair. The curls rippled and swung, falling down in soft waves to frame her face and dance upon her shoulders with its release. Like the belt, he just vanished the clip from existence when he skimmed his fingertips up Lauren’s arms. At her shoulders, he hooked the straps for her gown and tugged.

Everything fell free.

Lauren gasped, excitement in the sound when she found herself standing before him in not but a pair of blue lace panties.

“So beautiful,” Loki sighed, tracing his fingers over her curves.

He cupped her breasts, massaging them gently, taking his time to learn the softness of her skin. He gave her nipples a light tug before stepping into her body, forcing her back through the curtains and down onto the wide bed.

Her body gleamed like her eyes. The light sheen of sweat simply turning him on. The gold of her serpents shimmered in the bright interior of his newly created bower.

“Oh my… stars!” she gasped staring in awe at the space he’d created.

He chuckled softly for this time there really were stars. Inside their now enclosed bed, the night sky spread out around them. He would love her tonight beneath the constellations of Asgard as if he tumbled her into the grass of one of the high mountain meadows.

“Do you like it?” he asked, though he already knew her answer.

She shifted backward so she could rest in the center of the bed and look all around. “It’s wonderful!”

As he followed her through, he shifted his clothing into a pair of tight black boxer briefs and propped himself at her side. Stroking his fingers down the valley between her breasts, Loki smiled at the wonder in her eyes. “A little piece of home.”

“It’s amazin’!” She lifted her hand as if to touch the shimmer of stars and planets.

Loki caught her fingers and extended her arm out a little to her right and down a few inches. “That way is Midgard.”

“Yeah?” She appeared to squint.

It made him snicker. “If you could not see Asgard from the stream behind your Gran’s, how do you expect to see Earth from Asgard?”

“Hush you,” she muttered.

“Besides, I can think of much more… _stimulating_ ways to spend our evening.”

She looked his way, and Loki was caught by the stars reflecting in her eyes. The glow and shimmer of an Asgardian night glimmered on her skin, sparkled on her necklace, and gleamed fire from the pendant. In the dark of the night, beneath the sky of his homeland and under the heavy influence of his magic, the _brúðr steinn_ was reacting, showing off its own magic. The gold radiated a soft red and orange, no different than the flames of Valhalla it had been forged in.

Loki released her fingers to set his against the warm metal, feeling the pulse of her heart and the flow of magic within. “Do you know, I never imagined giving this to anyone.”

Her hand came up to rest over his. “Why?”

“I haven’t believed myself worthy of an _Ástvinur_ for some time.”

“What about before, on Asgard?”

He traced small patterns along her collarbones and watched her nipples bead as her arousal grew. “Thor was the center of attention. I was the spare. More often than not if a pretty girl came seeking my company, it was to gain access to Thor.”

“I’m sure not _every_ time,” she scoffed, skimming her fingers up and down his arm.

“Perhaps not _every_ time,” he smirked, “but no other has caught me like you, my heart.”

“Lucky me.”

“It is I who am the lucky one.” Leaning down, he kissed her softly, reverently, while his fingers skimmed a caress over her breast. His thumb brushed the pebbled skin of her aroused nipple, his fingers gently massaged the plump flesh while he captured the shocked moan which escaped her lips.

Her hand settled on his bicep when she arched into his touch.

He kissed her with care, with love, and let his hand wander the curves and valleys of her body. The ridge of her collarbone was a sweeping brush. The length of her arm that of a bow. Her ribcage was an elegant arch. Her breasts a sweet mound. The hollows and ridges of her abdomen fascinated him, while the dip of her hipbones had him longing to follow the path his fingers had walked with his lips. When he reached her thigh, he brushed his palm over the strong muscles with a quiet sigh.

She’d melted beneath his exploration, her body was pliant and eyes soft.

He’d kissed her so thoroughly, he knew every corner of her mouth by heart, would never be able to forget the taste of sweet lips and sighing breath.

“My darling,” he whispered, letting his nose brush against hers. “You are like a sculpture, all fine lines and perfect curves. To see you like this, pliant and willing, your skin sparkling with the stars of Asgard, it gives me such joy, Lauren. Tonight, in this place, you exist for me and me alone.”

“Loki,” she sighed. Her hand had long ago slipped from his arm to rest at her side.

He gathered it up, kissed her knuckles and placed it by her head. He did the same with the second as he rose up, straddled her thighs, and peered at her through the darkness. “Keep them there, darling. Unless you are burying them in my hair to keep my mouth on your sweet core, you are not to move.”

“So bossy,” she teased, but her words ran together, drunk on the sensations filling her body.

“My beautiful Lauren.” He bent over her, kissing and licking at her lips before dipping down and sucking on her neck. A swift bite to her shoulder, a full but gentle clenching of teeth made her moan. He worshiped his way down to pluck and play with her nipples, keeping them erect with gentle pressure. “What experience you’ve had, have been quite tame, have they not?” he asked her.

Lauren peered down her body at him. “Ye-yeah,” she cleared her throat.

He smiled, wicked and excited. “Shall we… _play_ , pet?”

“Play… how?” Her tone was wary, but her eyes were excited though cautious.

Lapping slowly at her flesh, he sucked hard on her nipple and made it swell, grow big and round and taut. “You humans have an interesting variety of implements to heighten sexual pleasure. I particularly found these of note.” Watching her watch him, Loki closed his lips over her pert flesh again, let his magic swell in his mouth, and flicked his tongue over the bejewelled clamp he left behind.

Lauren clenched her hands into fists and threw her head back as she cried out, “Oh… my… wow!”

“They say the sensation is quite something.” Loki grinned wickedly, catching the drop down jewel between his lips and gave it a little tug.

She jerked hard but didn’t move her hands. “That feels…”

“Tell me.” He could have purred with how excited he was. His cock jumped and throbbed, demanding attention, but he ignored it in favour of Lauren’s second breast.

“Good!” she groaned when he treated her unadorned nipple to the same experience.

Once both had a sparkly clamp attached, he licked from one to the other, creating a thin chain, and connecting them together. “Now, shall we… _play_ , my heart?” Wrapping the chain around his finger, Loki gave it a gentle tug.

“Merciful _God_!” she squealed, body arching with the intense pleasure.

“Not tonight, darling,” he teased, kissing his way across her chest.

Her legs moved restlessly between his, thighs rubbing together, seeking relief.

“Do you ache, Lauren? Does your body long for mine?”

“Yes!” she moaned, hands opening and closing. “Please, Loki!”

Kissing her belly, he gave the chain a tug. “Please what, my sweet?”

Eyes full of stars turned to him. A flush darkened her cheeks. “Take me to Valhalla.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Smut, NSFW, swearing

 

* * *

The sound he made could only be described as a hungry growl when Loki gave the chain another small tug. “Valhalla, my darling?” he asked smugly. “Is that what you seek?”

Her hands clenched tight to either side of her head. “Yes!”

“But the night has barely begun, pet. Surely you could wait a little longer.” Another dark chuckle resounded from his chest.

“Loki, please!”

She writhed beneath him as he continued to tug ever so gently the chain attached to the clamps. Beautiful in her abandon, Loki could do little more than look and touch, drawing his fingers over her heaving abdomen, down to skim the band of the pretty blue lace underwear he’d put her in.

His fingers dipped lower to skim over her mound and below, finding her drenched for him already. “Look at you, my sweet. So wet. Do I arouse you so quickly, Lauren?”

“You know you do,” she moaned, hips jerking. Her desire for firmer contact clear.

Allowing the chain to fall from his finger and pool on her chest, Loki shifted backward, dragging his fingers over her body as he did. “You shimmer with stars. So radiant,” he whispered.

Eyes of emerald green watched him from behind heavy lashes. Her lips were gently parted, breath coming in swift pants. A high flush had coloured her cheeks, challenging to see in the low lighting but present.

“You’re exquisite,” he continued to whisper, leaning down to place a tender kiss to the skin laid bare between her serpents and the blue lace. “The most perfect creature to walk the land of Midgard.”

“I think… you’re biased.” She flinched when he nipped his teeth into her.

“Only a fool would lie about the beauty in the bed with him,” he chastised, curling his fingers into the band over her underwear. Loki was definitely not a fool.

Her final garment came down slowly, with care, as if he removed the greatest of treasures from her long shapely legs. Soft flesh skimmed beneath his knuckles with every passing inch. When they came off her feet, he vanished them from existence.

Knelt at her toes, Loki lightly traced her instep, the delicate bones in her feet, and wrapped her ankles in a tight grip. Never once did he look away from her eyes, as caught up in the moment as she was.

He worked his hands slowly back up to her thighs, taking in the quake and quiver of muscle and sinew beneath his palms. “Are you nervous, pet? You are shaking quite intensely tonight.”

“You look…” she paused, and he could nearly feel the heat flare with her blush.

“Tell me,” he coaxed, placing a small kiss on her thigh as he pressed them open.

“Wicked.”

The grin which spread across his face was decidedly so. “And does that excite you, love?”

“More than I think it should.”

Laughing softly, a dark sound which matched his grin, Loki pressed his nose to her nest of curls, inhaling the scent of her lust. It filled his head, made him dizzy, and gave him a wicked idea.

She arched against him when his tongue snaked out to slip teasingly between her folds, but before her hands could snap to his head, Loki was crawling up her body to lay at her side. His arm went behind her, drawing Lauren up into his chest as he rolled them both over.

On his back with her now pressed to his torso, she gasped and moaned when the chain dragged against her flushed nipples.

He grasped her thigh and drew it over his torso until she straddled him. “Oh, pet, we have hardly started introducing you too wicked,” he crooned.

She panted and gasped, bent slightly against the weight of the dangling chain and glittering jewels bedecking her peaked flesh. Loki shook his hair back and stared up at her glazed eyes. Her hands pressed firmly against his chest, holding her steady even as she quaked from the intense sensations.

“Loki?” she asked, once she was able.

His hands slipped beneath her thighs, and he smiled knowing magic and excitement would be glowing in equal parts within his eyes. “Up,” he encouraged, massaging her ass to get her to scoot even higher.

“You want me to…?” She waved at his face, sending the blush racing down her chest.

“I want you up here, darling, where I can use my tongue to its full potential.”

A whimper left her lips. She was going to be the death of him with her sensual innocence.

When she hesitated, he gripped her bottom firmer. “Come, my love. You wished to see Valhalla, did you not? Come for a ride, and let me take you there. You will enjoy it, pet. I promise,” he purred, stroking now, like coaxing a reluctant kitten.

Her eyes dropped to his lips, and Loki licked them slowly.

“Come, my heart,” he crooned as her resistance waned. “Let me taste you.”

When she gave in, shuffling forward, Loki lifted her up and placed her down where he wanted her, wrapping his hands over the backs of her thighs to keep her in place.

The first swipe of his tongue was slow, thorough, and filled his mouth with the sweet taste of honeyed mead, the very essence of his Lauren. Curling his tongue, he lapped at her, sucking on her sweetness.

“Oh, my god!” she moaned, rocking down when his lips latched to her bundle of nerves.

He hummed in pleasure, drawing her harder over his mouth. Watching her lose herself to the sensations was always the most amazing thing and this time was no different.

She rocked and moaned, a hand coming down to hold in his hair while the other went behind her, supporting her on his chest. The chain swung, glittering in the starlight, swinging with her movements.

Thrusting his tongue firmly against her core, Loki sent a wisp of magic to the chain, creating a small weight in the center which pulled and tugged, drawing moans and sharp gasps from her lips, red now after her teeth had worked the bottom one over.

“Oh, god!” she cried arching back, causing the weight to roll back and forth over her torso.

The hand on his chest slid down, drawing a growl from his lips when it landed near his incredibly hard cock. The most insistent appendage had dampened his boxers, making him feel like an untried youth with how badly he wanted to roll Lauren beneath him, but it wasn’t until her fingers delved under the band to wrap firmly around his length that he thought he might lose total control.

Loki planted his feet on the bed and rocked his hips into Lauren’s massaging grip as he renewed his efforts, adding a little more magic to the mix. He thrust his tongue deep, licked at her walls, moaning at the way they fluttered around his tongue.

“Fuck!” she yelped, her grip momentarily stalling and tightening. “How the hell long is your tongue?” she asked, panting heavily.

With a chuckle, he peered up to find her looking down at him.

“Loki…” she moaned, tugging on his hair and his cock as she ground down on his mouth. “Fuck… I’m gonna…”

Her head fell back, eyes closing and hair cascading down to brush over his chest in a caress so sensual he couldn’t control the hard thrust of his hips into her hand. Her touch was like magic on him, drawing forth a primal side which wanted nothing more than to claim every part of her for himself.

Hands gliding down, Loki took a firm grip on Lauren’s ass, pressing her forward and sliding his tongue the full length of her core. He licked and sucked and pulled on her hard jewel until she writhed over him. He gave it a hard lick, loving the way her voice rose and fell, rising to a crescendo with her ever-growing pleasure. Slicking it over her drenched folds, he watched her shudder when he thrust it back inside and fucked her rapidly.

The silky glide of her hand over his skin was a pleasure so profound he moaned, the deep vibration and cool wash of his power sliding right up her clenching channel and through his tongue to tip her over into ecstasy.

“Yes!” she shrieked, back bowing, thighs clenching down around his head while her release flooded his mouth.

She gave a sharp jerk to his locks, but Loki was too lost in his own pleasure, the tension growing in his core with each contraction of her body, each glide of her hand, to notice how she held him hard to her dripping center.

He spread her cheeks further apart, and Loki skimmed his fingers up and down the smooth skin of her bottom, forcing her to remain right where she was so he could enjoy every ounce of the sweet nectar she’d gifted him.

“Loki… Loki, stop,” she pleaded, but he was having none of it.

He would have every single drop of her and flicked her hard jewel again, causing her to shake and extending her waning orgasm into new realms of pleasure.

Her hand increased its speed over his cock, and he fairly snarled it felt so good, but he’d momentarily forgotten how flexible she was.

He didn’t pay much attention when her hand lifted from his hair until she bent farther backward and it joined its twin, rubbing over the fabric of his boxers and lower to stroke and caress his sack, her talented fingers lit him on fire and broke his control within seconds.

Hips snapping up, Loki strained for but a moment longer, denying himself for those last few seconds to make the pleasure even more intense when it swept up his spine and outward, pulsing in rapid bursts of release over Lauren’s hand and his stomach.

“Fuck, woman,” he groaned, wallowing a moment in the loose feeling of his limbs. “You undo me, darling. Every time.” Flicking his fingers, he cleaned them both of his seed with minimal effort.

She sat up but gave a whimper when the weight and chain tugged on her oversensitive breasts.

With great care, Loki lifted her from him, quickly collecting the chain to take the pressure from her. He brushed her hands away when she reached for the clamps. “You must let me, my love. It will hurt if not done properly.” Cupping the back of her neck, he murmured, “Lie back, my heart. Rest. You did so well.”

“Loki,” she sighed, eyes glassy, her exhaustion evident.

He shushed her as he helped her down. Once she was settled, he vanished the chain, leaving only the jewelled clips. “There may be slight pain when they come free, but it won’t last,” he assured her.

She gave a small nod, her trust in him her greatest gift yet.

“Take a deep breath, my love, and breathe it out slow.” Closing his mouth over her breast, he gently stroked her ribs, petting her like the kitten she reminded him of when she mewled and purred, arching against him even as she inhaled deeply.

When she began to breathe out, he released the clamp, letting the pressure come free in small increments until he could vanish it completely. She whimpered, but he was quick to lap soothing strokes over the tender flesh, using his magic to reduce the soreness to heightened sensitivity. He wanted her to feel it, at least for a while, and remember who had given her such pleasure.

“Better?” he asked, placing a tender kiss to the still firm bud.

“Mm,” she hummed, a smile playing with her lips. “S’nice.”

“Are you pleasure drunk, darling?” Loki asked, amused, moving over to repeat the process with her other breast.

Her fingers threaded into his hair, while her body remained pliant beneath his. “If I am, s’your fault.”

He slid his tongue over her peak and grinned when she shivered in secondary pleasure. “I gladly take the blame for putting that look on your face, sweet Lauren.” Shifting upward, he nuzzled his nose into her throat, inhaling the scent of her, perfumed now in the softness of lilies and sex. “You smell divine.”

“That’s good,” she yawned.

Loki smiled at her exhaustion. “I seem to wear you out, _elskan min_ , whatever will you do when I finally have you as my own?” He rolled her to her side so he could press his body down her spine, and took his fingers over the curve of her ass. He dipped into the dimples at the base of her tailbone and down to caress the cleft of her cheeks. Nudging her top leg forward, he cupped her sex, gently petting the swollen lips. “I can promise you I will see you come for me more than once, once I am inside you.” He sank his fingers deeper, into her quivering walls to stroke them with a gentleness he’d never imagined he could achieve.

Lauren moaned and reached back to hook her arm around his neck, bringing him down to her. “You’re… a kinky fucker, ain’t you?”

Laughter burst from him. Kissing her smirking lips, Loki muttered, “Darling… you have no idea.”

“I think I have an inklin’, Loki.”

When she yawned for the second time, Loki pulled his fingers from her rapidly dampening core, sucked them clean, and dressed her in a nightgown of gold he ended at mid-thigh. The short length allowed him the perfect amount of access should he wish to get his hands on her, but for now, he drew her tight to his chest, pulled a pillow down for them to share, and called the sheet up to cover them both with his magic.

The Asgardian sky dimmed, finally winking out, revealing Lauren’s room illuminated by the bright moon in Earth’s dark sky.

Loki sighed happily and tucked his nose into her hair.

“Loki?” she murmured, voice husky with sleep.

“Yes, love?”

“I liked it.”

“What, my darling?” he crooned, wanting her to say the words.

“Playin’ with you.” Her body temperature warmed all over with her declaration.

“That’s good, pet,” he whispered, bringing his hand up to cup her chin and draw her head back so he could see her eyes. “For I plan to _play_ with you quite often.”

She shivered against him, an act which had nothing to do with being chilled, and everything to do with the excitement which gleamed in her green gaze.

He pressed a tender kiss to the corner of her mouth. “That’s _six_ , _elskan min._ ”

Her hand caught his when he released her chin, bringing it down to clutch with hers between her breasts. “Tomorrow?”

Throwing a possessive leg over her body, Loki hummed and kissed the nape of her neck. “Tomorrow. Sleep now.”

She gave a heavy sigh and was out almost before it ended.

Wrapped around his _Ástvinur_ , Loki gave his own content sigh and fell into a light doze, his attention split between the woman in his arms, and the children sleeping only feet away.

***

“Heimdall.” Thor grinned at the Guardian and rubbed his hands together. “So?”

“He still courts his lady, but something seems... amiss.” Heimdall peered into the cosmos, his amber eyes narrowed.

“Explain!” Thor demanded, unwilling to allow any to mess with Loki’s chance at happiness.

“There is much unrest in the Lady’s home. I… do not understand the nature of the arguments, but your brother has been… acting in her defence.”

“Shit,” Thor hissed. “How bad?”

“He has shown greater restraint than I thought him capable of.”

“But?”

“But he hides from me more and more.”

“Are you certain he and Lauren aren’t just… in a compromising position?” Thor asked tentatively.

Heimdall shrugged. “He circles her. A wolf protecting its mate.”

The grin returned. “That is good.”

A smile quirked the gold-clad guardian’s face. “It seems you’re team have pictures.”

Thor’s grin grew even broader. “Stark and his toys. I wish to see these _pictures_ , Heimdall.”

“I thought you might.” Swinging the sword from his back, Heimdall opened the Bifröst. “I will await your call, my King.”

Thor walked through the opening and arrived moments later from the swirling air on the top of tower Avenger. It was late, the sun long down, but the lights from the city lit the world around him.

There was also usually a figure or two up haunting the tower throughout the night, so he worried not about striding inside, hammer in hand, to find Tony and Steve playing a game of billiards, something he was terrible at.

“My friends!” Thor called out, holding out his arms as he walked in grinning.

“Thor,” Steve said with a broad smile.

“Pointbreak,” Tony smirked.

Thor set Mjolnir on the coffee table and rolled his eyes. “Are you ever going to give that a rest?”

“Nope.” Tony shook his head.

“Remind me to electrify all his suits in the future,” Thor said to Steve.

“Hey!”

Steve snickered as he set his cue on the table, effectively blocking Tony’s shot and stopping the game. “What brings you to us at this time of night?”

“One guess,” Tony scoffed, tossing his cue down as well. “Reindeer games?”

“Loki is the reason for my visit. Heimdall keeps an eye on him.”

Tony rested his hip against the table. “If the Eye of Mordor keeps tabs on the horned wonder, you’ll already know he isn’t here.”

“He attends the Lady Lauren. I am aware.” He couldn’t quite contain the glee that gave him.

“You don’t seem upset or surprised,” Steve said, a smirk touching his lips.

Thor only chuckled. “I have known Loki all of his days. We may not have always seen eye-to-eye, nor always been on the same team, but no one knows him better than I. His interest in Lauren has been the cause of many a late night conversations between the two of us.”

“And you didn’t think to say anything to the rest of us?” Tony barked.

Thor muttered, “I have been encouraging him for months to make his affections known. It was Loki who did not think himself worthy of Lauren.”

“He’s not.”

Thor glanced behind him to find Natasha scowling in the doorway, an exasperated Barnes at her side, with Lauren’s feline Felix sitting on his shoulder. “Speak your next words carefully. He is my brother and is doing his part to atone for his sins.”

“He shouldn’t be _atoning_ with Lauren!” Natasha snapped. “If he hurts her, Thor…” she let the threat hang.

“Lauren is the _only_ person Loki wouldn’t harm. There is nowhere safer for her than in the arms of my brother.” Getting to his feet, anger causing thunder to ripple around the building, Thor stalked toward her. “You know little of Asgardians. Even less of Loki.”

“I heard from Lauren a while ago,” Bucky offered, scratching the chin of Felix when the cat purred and head-butted his ear.

“And?” They all said at the same time.

Bucky scowled. “She had a falling out with her mother and sisters, but her father seems to be trying. It’s not great, but Loki has been at her side and _helpful_. She repeatedly said she couldn’t do what she was without him.”

Thor noticed the flash of concern on Bucky’s face but didn’t comment on it. “See?” he said instead. “There you have it. Loki, being helpful.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Natasha grumbled, causing Bucky to roll his eyes.

“You have seen it!” he huffed.

“Oh?” Thor inquired, preferring to play dumb.

“Tony’s got pictures,” Steve admitted when Thor looked at the Captain.

“Really?” Trying to contain he excitement, Thor asked, “Might I see them?”

They all looked at Bucky who threw his hands into the air, causing Felix to dig his claws in and meow in a displeased manner. “Everyone else has seen them! What’s one more invasion of their privacy?”

He stomped away, heading for what Thor assumed would be the control room. The King of Asgard refused to let the twinge of guilt he had over invading his brother’s privacy grow into anything more than the twinge for he desperately wanted to see them for himself. Information through Heimdall was great, but seeing Loki happy with Lauren would be so much better first hand.

Striding into the room after Barnes, he made no more than three steps when the giant screen above the console lit up, frozen on the image of Loki and Lauren. His hand was in her hair, eyes full of soft affection with Lauren’s hands resting on his chest. Her smile was brilliant, soft and warm. A large ring sparkled on her finger. The dress she wore, he noted absently, was patterned with the runes from the throne room, but it was the gold gleaming around her throat which grabbed his attention like nothing else.

“You stupid son of a bitch!” Thor bellowed. “What the _hell_ were you thinking?” Thor stormed from the room, back toward the exterior doors.

Hand out, he called for Mjolnir. The sound of something shattering came only once, and he was counting his blessings for small miracles when Steve and Tony stepped into his path. “Duck,” he muttered.

Both did so, his hammer skimming the top of Tony’s head.

“What the hell, Thor?” Tony asked, following him out the door.

“It’s nothing.” Making to swing his hammer, Thor was stopped by Steve holding out his hand.

“It’s not nothing. What did you see in that picture? What’s going on, Thor?”

“It’s an Asgardian matter. It has nothing to do with you.”

“If it has to do with Lauren, it concerns all of us!” Natasha snapped.

Thor looked at the four concerned faces and sighed. “The _brúðr steinn_. He gave her his _brúðr steinn_. It won’t harm Lauren, quite the opposite. The rest of what has angered me is between Loki and I.” Stepping back, Thor avoided the rest of the conversation by flying away.

***

The crack of thunder coming from the previously clear sky woke Loki from his light doze a few hours later. Groaning softly, he detached himself from Lauren, being careful not to wake her. His actions were futile though when she stirred and breathed in deeply.

“Loki?”

“Go back to sleep, my heart.”

“Where you goin’? Time’s it?”

Her sleepy mumble made him smile. “It is very early, barely tomorrow. But it appears I am about to get a visit from my brother.”

“Thor? Here?” she grumbled.

“Apparently.” He pressed his hand against her spine when she tried to rise. “Stay, my sweet. I will attend to Thor.”

She rolled over, hugging the pillow to her chest. “Tell mister high and mighty, overgrown Asgardian, he’s welcome back at a decent hour. Pick a room, an empty one, and he can wait to talk when the sun’s up.”

Loki chuckled as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the middle of her back. “I will tell him, darling.”

“S’good,” she muttered, returning to sleep as swiftly as she’d woken.

For someone who was usually such a morning person, up early doing her yoga, Lauren clearly disliked being woken. Stroking his fingers lightly over the curve of her sheet covered bottom, Loki finally pulled himself from the bed, the rising tension on the air denoting his brother’s impending arrival.

The second ripple of thunder and wild flash of lightning had Loki frowning in concern. Whatever could be wrong to have Thor in such a mood?

Dressing quickly, a shimmer of gold coating him in his preferred style of black and green leather, Loki walked from the room with swift, purposeful strides, arriving at the railing as Thor landed on the lawn in a flash of lightning. The scorch mark left with his arrival should _please_ Magnolia to no end. A thought which made Loki smile.

From the balcony, Loki leapt, landed lightly and stalked toward his seething brother. “Thor? What is it? What’s wrong? Is it father?”

“Father?” Thor murmured, seeming taken aback. “You have not called him that in…”

Gravel crunched beneath Loki’s feet as he made his way to Thor’s side. “I have… re-evaluated a few previous assumptions.”

Mjolnir fell to the ground at Thor’s side. “Really?”

Loki crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. “No need to get emotional, brother. Even I can change my mind when proven wrong.”

“And just who showed you the error of your ways when none before you could make you see different?”

Loki smiled, looking back toward the balcony and the room he had not long ago vacated. “Lauren.”

The fist which connected with the side of his head was unexpected and set him stumbling away. “What the fuck, Thor?”

“You stupid fool!” Thor seethed, hands clenched at his side.

He refused to acknowledge the hurt inside him at Thor's perceived rejection and stared at the ground. “I thought you… liked Lauren. That you wanted me to speak my feelings.”

“Feelings, yes!” he growled, throwing his arms up. “But you gave her your _brúðr steinn_! What the hell were you thinking?” Thor bellowed.

“How do you know of that? I hid it even from Heimdall’s eyes!” Picking himself up, Loki shifted around, placing himself between his brother and the house, hands held loosely at his sides, ready to attack or defend as needed.

Thor frowned at his change of posture. “Stark has pictures.”

“Stark!” Loki hissed, glaring at the helicopter situated still a few yards. “Meddlesome, interfering, quim!” Throwing his hands forward, he wrapped the machine in ropes of magic and clenched his fists, reducing it to nothing but crushed bits of metal no bigger than croquet balls from earlier in the day, and doing so in complete silence, not wishing to alarm Lauren. Rage ripped through him, so incised he had the overwhelming urge to drop the entire mass on Stark’s head.

When he turned back to Thor, he did not notice the magic which burned around his fists like green flames. “You will not take her from me!”

Thor held up his hands. “Easy, brother.”

“You will not _touch_ my _Ástvinur_!”

“ _Ástvinur_?” Thor breathed, his face falling into lines of awe. “Are you certain?”

“I would not have offered the _brúðr steinn_ if I wasn’t. I am not an idiot, unlike some people,” Loki grumbled, calming only slightly.

“Loki… I…” Thor stepped forward and wrapped a meaty fist behind Loki’s neck, dragging him into a hard hug. “I am so happy for you.”

Loki’s magic winked out as he set his hands on Thor’s back and relaxed into the embrace. “Thank you, brother.”

Pushing him back, Thor gripped his shoulders and laughed, shaking Loki in his excitement. “This is cause for celebration! Such glorious news will please our father!”

“I…” Loki swallowed his emotions, “hope so.”

“What did she say when you told her?” Thor asked, causing Loki to flinch. “You told her, yes?”

“She knows… most of it.”

“Loki!” Thor smacked him in the ear.

“Dammit, Thor! Stop hitting me!”

“I will stop when you stop being stupid! How could you not tell her?”

“She knows enough!”

“Oh, so you told her that an _Ástvinur_ is the guiding force of light for a dark god? That she’s the only thing standing between you and the complete loss of your sanity? That if the _brúðr steinn_ breaks or remains unfinished you will go mad and one of us, your _family_ , will have to kill you to stop you?”

“She knows I love her and will do anything for her! She knows she is the very heart beating in my chest. She has seen the very worst of me and not turned away. I told her, Thor! I told her everything! Things not even you are aware of, and she didn’t turn away. She told me…” he heaved for breath, coming fast in rapid pants, “I’m not a monster.”

“No one thinks you a monster, Loki.”

He snorted, turning away. “Everyone thinks me a monster. Stop being asinine!”

“I don’t. I have never thought you a monster, even when you wished me to believe it.”

Loki glanced back and sighed at the sad blue eyes watching him. “Then you are in the minority. Even father thinks me a monster.”

“Father was angry when he said those things. You know that.”

Loki sighed. “That seems to be our way in this family. Harsh words and actions spoken in anger regretted almost from the moment they pass our lips.” Again he looked toward the house. “Unlike here.”

“What happens here, Loki? Heimdall was concerned.”

“Another meddlesome male,” Loki snorted. “Tell Heimdall my _Ástvinur_ dislikes him peeping at us.”

“Lauren said that?” Thor snickered.

“She also told me to inform my… how did she put it… overgrown Asgardian, high and mighty brother to come back at a decent hour, after the sun has risen.” The look on Thor’s face made Loki laugh.

“She is far feistier than I had previously given her credit for.”

“They all underestimate my Lauren.” Loki grinned wickedly. “She is… so much more than anyone has seen. There is strength and passion in her. A wicked sense of mischief, a fire which burns inside her I am only now seeing. She _sasses_ me, Thor, and I like it!”

“This coming from the man sleeping in her bed,” Thor snickered. “As you are burying your cock between those lush thighs, you would naturally be quite smitten.”

“I haven’t.”

“Excuse me?” Thor’s eyes fairly bugged from his head.

“I haven’t. Lauren is… very nearly untouched. I made her a vow, and I am keeping it.”

“From the gleam in your eyes, brother, I doubt I want to know what that vow entails.”

“I would not tell you even if you begged.” Lauren would likely skin him if he did.

“You need to tell her, Loki.”

Thrusting his hand through his hair, Loki stared at the second story where his woman rested with the children of her heart. “It’s in stage four.”

“What?” Thor gasped.

“I told you… she’s amazing.” When Thor’s hand came down on his shoulder, Loki looked his way.

“Then we shall see it through its final stage. An _Ástvinur_ , Loki.” He shook his head, grinning widely. “I am happy for you.”

“I never imagined…” Loki let the thought hang.

“You deserve it.”

“No… I really don’t, but I will never give her up.”

“How can I help?”

“Her family is atrocious. Her mother and sisters abuse her at every turn. But her father… he may yet be worth saving. Her Gran is a lovely woman, and there are children involved.”

“Children?” Thor’s face lit up.

“They are…” he sighed and gave in, “adorable. Especially small Sara. She is Lauren in miniature.”

“She must be to gain your affection,” Thor teased.

Ignoring him, Loki muttered, “I need two things.”

“Ask, and they will be yours.”

“I need a girl.” Again Thor’s palm connected with the back of his head. “Freya’s tits! What now!?”

“Your bespoke _Ástvinur_ sleeps yonder, and you ask me to get you a _girl_? Brother,” he growled, Mjolnir leaping to his hand.

“Not for me, you imbecile! Her Gran is an elder, lives alone and has no one to care for her.” Rubbing the back of his head, Loki was of half a mind to knock Thor on his ass. “She needs someone to see to her care. If there is a girl who would be willing to assist her, one who may wish to learn of Midgard and the people here, I would see them handsomely compensated.”

“Oh.” Thor looked contrite. “Apologies, brother.”

“Think before you smack for once,” he grumbled but nodded acceptance.

“And the other thing?”

“Are Ming’s pups yet weaned?”

“Loki? What are you playing at?”

He gritted his teeth together, loathing filling his voice. “The children… their mother is abusive. The madness I see in her is carefully contained but growing. This is not Asgard, however, where we can simply remove them from harm. Here there are _rules_ I am not privy to understanding. But I refuse to leave them unprotected. I made a promise to my _Ástvinur_.”

“So you gift them a _dyrehund_?”

He gave a slight shrug. “They look enough like the elkhounds of Norway to pass as an earthly creature. It will be charged with the care of Sara and Benny, and I will be able to assure Lauren no one will lay a hand on them in anger ever again.”

Thor stood silently for a few moments, absorbing, thinking as he was want to do before speaking. “Heimdall was right. You are showing far more restraint than previously. But there is something else, something more which has you worried, brother. I can feel the tension in your magic.”

“Something… is coming,” Loki said softly, eyes closing as he lifted his face to the sky. “I don’t know what, or how bad, but the scent is on the wind. _Treachery_ whispers the trees. _Deceit_ wails the reeds. _Death_ sings the clouds.”

“Loki…” Thor stared at him aghast. “You sound like Mother.”

“She would tell you the same.” Opening his eyes, they caught on the vision of Lauren standing at the balcony rail.

The green sheet from their bed was wrapped around her, but the wind lifted the tail of it up, carrying it away from the length of her bare legs, allowing the gold of her short gown to glimmer from beneath. Her curls fell en masse around her shoulders, tussled and thick, a fitting counterpart to her slumberous eyes and pouty lips.

“It appears your lady has awoken.”

“Hmm,” Loki hummed, unable to look away from her come-hither smile.

“Kiss my sister-to-be’s cheek for me, brother, and tell her I will see her soon.”

“Come for the party, brother. There is a formal gathering tonight, a ball of sorts. Your attendance will be welcome.” There was more to Loki’s request than just having his brother around, but having him around to be a second set of watchful eyes. “Be aware of the sisters and mother when you do return. Their flattery is false, and their venom as poisonous as that of a viper.”

With a nod, Thor clapped his hand down on Loki’s shoulder. “I will return with all you’ve requested as soon as possible.”

“If you return to the tower…”

“I will tell them to keep out of it.”

Tearing his eyes from Lauren, he looked to Thor with gratitude. “Thank you, brother.”

“Be happy, my brother. Find peace in the arms of your _Ástvinur_.”

“I plan to.” Nodding, Loki walked away from Thor, returning to the base of the house where he gave a mighty jump and landed lightly on the opposite side of the balcony railing. “Darling, I thought you slept?”

Her eyes drifted down his form, slumberous but full of admiration. “And I thought I asked you to come back quickly?”

“I don’t believe you did, my heart,” he said, swinging his leg over the railing.

“Must have dreamt that part.”

Taking her by the waist, he drew her close. “You look so enticing standing here in the moonlight. I can hardly contain myself.”

“Then maybe you should come back to bed and show me your appreciation?”

He swept her off her feet and into his arms. “When exhaustion no longer clouds your eyes, my love, I will return you to Valhalla. For now, I will simply return you to bed.”

She curled in against him, her face going to the crook of his throat with a heavy sigh, and Loki knew he’d made the right decision. Glancing to where his brother stood watching, a wide grin on Thor’s big goofy face, Loki couldn’t help but smirk back and tilt him a nod of thanks.

With a crack of thunder, Thor left, flying off in the same manner he’d arrived.

“Thor’s not stayin’?” she mumbled against his skin.

“He will return later.”

“Is everythin’ okay? Everyone is alright?”

“Everything is fine, darling.” Returning to the bed, he shed his clothes and climbed through the curtains, placing her back in the center of their bower where she belonged. “Go back to sleep. I promise I won’t be leaving you again tonight.” Kissing her cheek, he curled himself back around her, creating another sheet of silky gold out of nothing and allowing it to fall over them both.

“You could’a just untucked me,” she muttered, sighing as her body relaxed.

“But I like you wrapped up, Lauren. There is no chance of you getting away when your legs are tangled in my sheets.”

“Who said I was goin’ anywhere?”

“Who indeed.”

“I like bein’ right here, with my God of Mischief.”

“That is good, my love,” he whispered against her ear as she relaxed back into sleep, “For I have no plans on letting you go.”

“You couldn’t even if you tried.”

Loki grinned and closed his eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing, yelling, Smut, NSFW

 

* * *

Thor’s mood was high when he returned to the tower. Was he a little worried? Certainly. The task his brother had set himself was large. Huge in fact, but, if he succeeded, Thor knew his future with his brother at his side would be assured.

All he had to do was make sure no one screwed it up. In this, he eyed the tower lit like a beacon against the backdrop of the city. The _team_ would need to be warned to keep their noses out of it.

On Asgard, an _Ástvinur_ was a rarity, but then so was a dark god. Loki was, quite honestly, the darkest god Asgard had seen in generations. The last god Thor could recall having been in need of, and blessed by, an _Ástvinur_ was Aegir.

The sea god had been a most violent male, feared by sailors as he would appear on the surface to take ships with him to the bottom of the deep where his hall was located. One of short temperament, Aegir had calmed substantially, found peace with Ran, his wife, who’d born him many daughters. After Ran and Aegir completed their bonding, Aegir’s entire demeanour changed. He did everything he could to keep his _Ástvinur_ happy and became known for his lavish entertainment.

Thor had been to many a feast given by the sea god. They were all _quite_ memorable.

Ran liked a good party.

To find that Loki, his brother, beloved even after everything he’d done, was now in the hunt for his own _Ástvinur,_ well, Thor could have shouted down the heavens he was so happy.

Still, he worried a little. When Loki finally told Lauren everything, all of it, Thor hoped she would take it well. If not, he worried for the _brúðr steinn_.

If the Avengers had thought they could smell the crazy on Loki before, it would be nothing in comparison to what would happen this time if someone interfered with their bonding.

On Asgard, the news of Loki’s discovery would have been celebrated. The woman would have been given a wide berth. Her status among the court would be elevated to that of princess no matter her current position. Anything she might have wanted would have been given to her, and everyone would have walked with respect around Loki. To be blessed with an _Ástvinur_ was like being told you were worthy of redemption. Loki desperately needed that assurance.

That he had found his _Ástvinur_ on Earth was not of concern. The stress of the situation Loki had put himself in while courting her was. The strain was already showing.

When Loki had turned on him in the past, though Thor had felt infinitely hurt and betrayed, not once did he genuinely believe Loki would _actually_ kill him. Even that time Loki had dropped him from the Helicarrier in the Hulk’s containment cage. While it had caused Thor a moment of concern when he couldn’t grab hold of Mjolnir, then couldn't hit the glass, he knew he’d get out. It was only a matter of timing.

It had pissed him off something fierce, though.

But tonight, when Loki had put himself between Thor and the house it had been entirely different. There had been little doubt in his mind, if he’d made the wrong move, said the wrong thing, Loki would have torn into him with all the ferocity of his darkness.

Usually, Loki was more trickster than truly bad, even when he was playing the villain, Loki was only mostly dark. The only exceptions had been when he’d attacked Midgard on behalf of the Chitauri and tonight.

It was strange how those two instances stuck out in his mind. The same, but different. The rage in Loki then had been a fire burning with the flame of madness in his eyes. Tonight, the flame had burned with passion and love.

And fear.

That Loki was having moments of foresight was disconcerting. Frigga used to see, though she rarely spoke on it to him, leaving those disturbing moments for Odin’s ears alone. Odin would then decide whether to act or not and tell only what needed to be told.

Loki had never shown signs of being a seer… before now.

He put it aside to dwell on later and landed on the balcony of the Avengers tower. The lights were all on, and he could see the majority of the team gathered. They were arguing as Natasha and Bucky were nearly nose-to-nose with each other.

Steve, Tony, Sam, Wanda and Vision were all in some state of intervention, gathered around the pair. When Thor pushed open the door, the noise assaulted his ears.

“You aren’t budding the fuck in, Natasha!” Bucky bellowed.

“How can you say that? Something is clearly wrong! Thor bolts out of here, swearing at his brother over some Asgardian trinket and none of you seem to care that Lauren could be in danger!”

“Do not call the _brúðr steinn_ a trinket, and she is not in danger!” Thor roared, not needing to hear any more. Never in all his life had he been so incised. The anger inside him sent sparks and whips of lightning racing up his arm and over his chest. “If anyone is, it is Loki!” His rage sent him striding forward to tower over the Widow.

She looked at him with wide green eyes. For the first time ever, they were full of fear. “Thor…”

“Your hatred blinds you. I have tried, sincerely tried, to be understanding with you for your bond with Barton is as close as that of a sister, but no more. I can no longer allow you to continue to cast Loki in this light. _I won’t have it!_ ”

The glasses in Tony’s liquor cabinet rattled with the volume and strength of his yell.

“Thor… you need to calm down,” Steve said, taking Natasha by the arm and pulling her away from him.

“Perhaps if you explained in better detail,” said Vision, ever the peacekeeper.

Thor straightened to his full height and cast a harsh glare at them all. “You are not of Asgard. You do not understand our ways.”

“Then explain it to us mere mortals, Fabio, cause if you don’t-”

Tony never got to finish his threat for Thor’s hand cut off his airway. “Speak _not_ another word.”

When Tony nodded, he released the man, who gasped for air, and patted his shoulder. “I apologize for the roughness of my treatment, Stark, but you cannot, you _must not_ , interfere with Loki and Lauren.”

“Why?” Wanda asked, lowering herself to sit on the arm of the sofa. “You are… happy, yet fearful. Excited, yet worried. What is a… uh… br… brod…”

She faltered in her pronunciation, and Thor took pity on her. “ _Brúðr steinn._ It is a sacred gift, given when a dark god finds his _Ástvinur_.”

“What’s that?” asked Bucky.

He looked to the soldier, the only other ally he had in this room. The only other to defend the relationship between Lauren and Loki. “It closely translates as _beloved_. She is the light to his darkness.”

Silence. A thick, heavy silence filled the room while they all stared at him, not comprehending his meaning.

Natasha finally broke it. “What the hell does that mean?”

Thor was regretting stopping now, wishing instead he’d just gone back to Asgard. “Loki is a dark god. Unlike myself or Odin, or our mother Frigga who are all balanced, an even amount of light and dark, goodness and evil, Loki tips the scale toward darkness. It is the price he pays for being a dark god.”

“What’s that got to do with Lauren?” Sam asked.

The concern on his face was the only reason Thor chose to elaborate. Already he’d said more than he wanted to, but the group as a whole cared deeply for the woman. “Dark gods are rare in my world. They are necessary to the balance of Asgard, and the health of Yggdrasil, the world tree. But they are… dark. More inclined toward mischief, and in some cases truly evil.”

“Been there, seen it, kicked its ass,” muttered Tony.

Ignoring him, Thor continued. “When a dark god comes into his power, he is tasked with creating a _brúðr steinn_ , the necklace around Lauren’s throat.”

“Swanky piece of bling,” Sam smirked.

“It is more than simply _bling_. It is a declaration, a promise, and an oath bound in the God’s blood.” Thor looked at Natasha. “You are so concerned he will hurt her, but that is where you are wrong. He _cannot_ hurt her. She is his _Ástvinur_. He has given her his promise, bound in his blood, and his magic, and the flames of Valhalla. There is no one safer in the nine realms than Lauren. Loki would die for her. He would slit his own throat before he ever caused her pain.”

“What’s the catch?”

Steve, of course, the ever-observant Captain would be suspicious. “None, on Lauren’s part.”

“And Loki’s?” Bucky asked.

He looked to the sergeant and sighed. “The bond has five stages. Until it finishes all five, Loki will be _less_ hospitable to people he feels are a threat to his and Lauren’s relationship. Heimdall has been watching and says he circles her, a wolf protecting its mate, and after tonight, I agree with him.”

“What happened down there?”

Tony kept his distance, and Thor had a moment of guilt for frightening his friends. But this was Loki. No one was more important to him than his brother. “Nothing which concerns this team.”

“Now just one damn minute!” Stark barked.

“No.” Thor lifted his chin. “You will wait, and you will hear me when I speak. These are Asgardian matters. As you did not wish me interfering in your _war_ , you will heed my words and stay out of things which have nothing to do with you.”

“Thor, it wasn’t like that!” Steve said.

“I do not care if it was or wasn’t, Captain, but _this,_ here and now, has _nothing_ to do with the Avengers. This is Loki’s one chance at true happiness. At finding _peace_! After everything that has happened, he never expected to find his _Ástvinur_. He has been blessed by fate in an act which has changed him greatly. On Asgard we would be feasting nightly, celebrating not only Loki’s good fortune but ours as well! A balanced dark god is… most powerful, and lives for the happiness of his or her _Ástvinur_.”

“And what’s Lauren get out of all this?” Natasha asked, striding forward to plant herself in front of him, defiance written all over her. “Seems like Loki gets an awful lot out of this deal, but I haven’t once heard you say what she gets out of this… _bond_.”

“She gets Loki.”

Natasha snorted. “Wow, such a prize.”

“You would be surprised at what a gift that is.”

“Doubtful,” she scoffed.

He arched a brow before bringing his hand up slowly to cup her cheek. While he didn’t banter it around to the others, preferring to be known as the God of Thunder, Thor had another title, one which he tapped into to give Natasha a taste of what she was missing out on.

As the God of Fertility, he had little trouble attracting a female and exuded his allure to prove his point. “Oh, really? Imagine if you will, fair Natasha, a male, a God who is so enamoured with you, he would do whatever it took to see you happy. Whether it be food, clothes, jewels,” he lowered his head and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, shifting his body closer as he went so she could feel the heat off his frame, “or sex, he would see you happy, blissfully so, at every hour of the day. Now, imagine that someone is the greatest magic wielder Asgard has ever known. What lengths he would go to? What actions he would perform. All in the name of seeing you, the one woman made for him, was happy, healthy, and… _satisfied_ at every interval… at every moment,” he breathed against her lips, watching her pupils dilate, “of every… single… day.” A flush had lightly coloured her cheeks, and he placed a small kiss, more of a nip, to her bottom lip before drawing away. “To be worshiped by a God as the Goddess you have now become for him? Would that not be reward enough?”

She blinked up at him, confused then embarrassed when she stepped further away. “Sure, I guess,” she said, working to compose herself.

Unfortunately for her, the effects of that tiny bit of enticement would not wear off for at least an hour. A swift glance around the room showed Thor had made the group uncomfortable as a whole and grinned. Midgardians were all so stuffy when it came to sex. “If that has satisfied your curiosity, I must be off. I have preparations to make, items to obtain, and good news to give my father before I return to the house of Lauren for tonight’s party.”

No one moved, and Thor made a quick escape, calling for Heimdall to open the Bifröst before he was even out the door. The sooner he got home, the sooner he could come back.

Loki needed him, and he would not let his brother down.

***

The group at large took a collective breath when Thor left, the Bifröst opening and closing in quick succession.

“Well, that’s that, then,” Bucky said, picking Felix up off the back of the couch. The cat hadn’t even twitched with Thor’s angry yelling.

“Unless…” Tony smirked a grin worthy of the Trickster god himself.

“No.”

“You haven’t even heard my proposal!”

Bucky threw him a disdainful glare. “You want to meddle. Thor said we should keep our noses out of it.”

“Would I meddle?” Tony asked, looking insulted.

“Yes,” grumbled Steve.

“So would you,” quipped Sam.

Vision held up his hand before the conversation deteriorated into personal jabs and snarling. “I, for one, am concerned. Thor was quite insistent nothing would befall Lauren should this bond fail to finalize, but he never did explain what would happen to Loki should it be halted.”

“He was most worried in that moment. Nearly fearful. All of it aimed at Loki, not himself,” Wanda said, coming to Vision’s side.

“He did say if anyone was in danger it was Loki, not Lauren,” Sam agreed.

“And Loki’s never been overly _hospitable_ ,” Nat added. “Thor is getting better at evading than he used to be.” She almost sounded impressed, even as she shifted restlessly. 

“Kiss get you going, Red?” Bucky asked, smile smug.

“Bite me, Barnes.”

“Anytime, Red.” He grinned even wider when her eyes narrowed.

“I’ll be fine, metal-armed asshole,” she huffed.

“Tony, what was your idea?” Wanda jumped in, trying to steer them all back on topic.

Having gone to pour himself a drink, Tony waved them all over and began mixing everyone’s preferred cocktail. “How do you all feel about a little Fourth of July, soiree?”

“He’ll kill you. Loki already doesn’t like you, and if you show up uninvited, ain’t that considered _rude_ by you rich people?” Bucky asked.

Tony waved him off. “I have a standing invitation to the Annandale’s Fourth, well technically it would be third, of July party.”

“How?”

He smirked a grin Vision's direction but waved at Steve and Sam. “Like I told those two, the brother-in-law wants to rub elbows with some of New York’s elite. Once he found out where Lauren was, he cornered me at some function or other and tried to charm Pepper. When that didn’t work, he invited us to attend the quote-unquote _highlight_ of Greenville’s summer kick-off, at our convenience.”

“So you’re just gonna show up?” Steve shook his head. “I’m with Buck. This is getting out of hand. Lauren and Loki don’t need us getting all up in their business.”

Another round of arguing, explaining, rationalizing, and playing on their feelings later, and the two super soldiers were outvoted. Tomorrow night, Tony, Natasha, Steve and Bucky would be going to Greenville.

Sam had flat out refused. He had no desire to be on the receiving end of Lauren or Loki’s ire, and Wanda and Vision chose to stay behind and watch over things, keep the world from ending, just in case.

The only reason he and Steve had given in was that Bucky figured they were the only ones capable of keeping Tony and Nat out of trouble, and there was no stopping those two.

When he finally got to his room a few minutes later, Bucky pulled out his phone to shoot off a quick text to Lauren to let her know what was coming, only to find he no longer had her or Loki’s number.

“Friday? What’s up with my phone?”

“I’m sorry, Sergeant Barnes. The boss won’t let anyone spoil the surprise.”

Bucky was going to surprise Tony in the morning. With a fist to the face.

***

Loki came awake with the first stirring of Lauren against him. She gave a soft, sweet, almost kitten like sigh which had Loki smiling into her hair. It was adorable, and he tucked her in tighter to his body.

Neither had moved much during the night. Loki’s leg still held her captive, though the hand she’d collected to her heart was now free. She shifted, wiggling against him, her satin covered bottom moved against his partial erection, waking it to full arousal in an instant.

He managed to contain his growl by will alone. The scent of her filled his nose. A soft one of lilies and Lauren, something uniquely her that he was becoming addicted to. She sighed again, moved against him again, and drove him a little mad. Not even awake and she was tormenting him already.

Unable to resist the throbbing of his cock, Loki cupped her breast. She hummed but otherwise seemed unaware of his actions. He could no more contain his devious smirk than he could stop his thumb from finding the rapidly beading peak in the fabric.

He rubbed it in slow circles, taking special care not to over stimulate her. She would be tender still from his actions the previous evening, but thinking about those actions did nothing to calm the monster in his drawers. It only made it throb and twitch against her buttocks.

Her bare shoulder called out to him, begging for his lips, and Loki was more than willing to oblige. He placed a tender kiss on the sleek curve. A soft, open-mouthed kiss in which he could flick a small lick over her skin.

She was sweet like honey, but there was a fire in it. A heat which burned straight through him.

Another growl of pleasure almost escaped him, but he quelled it in favour of nibbling on her skin. From shoulder to throat, he kissed and nipped, making his way to the crook between shoulder and neck and a sensitive spot. All the while he continued the slow manipulation and massage of her breast, a pleasant weight and size in his palm.

When he began to suck lightly on her tender throat, she moaned herself awake. “Loki…”

“Good morning, my sweet,” he whispered against her skin.

“Time’s it?” she asked.

“Barely dawn. Too early to be thinking of getting out of bed. Especially when you can stay right here and let me touch you.” He gave her nipple a tug, and quickly covered her mouth when her moan rose in volume. “Shh, my darling. You will wake the children.”

When she nodded, he released her. His opposite hand curled beneath her torso to begin the gentle massage and tweak of her breasts and nipples again. “Are you tender, pet? Should I stop?” he asked, continuing in his quiet voice, keeping it a barely-there whisper, deep and husky still with sleep.

“Don’t stop.”

The thrust of her hips against his loins was a decadent kind of torture, one that finally had the rumble of a growl escaping his lips. “You must be ever so quiet, my sweet. Can you do that for me?”

She gave another nod, her lashes fluttering with the pleasure his touch produced.

“You’re very sensitive though, aren’t you, pet? I can feel it in how hard these little buds are, in how fast they have filled. How heavy and swollen your breasts are. I love it.”

“Loki,” she whimpered.

“Quiet, my heart. Be quiet as a mouse or I will have to gag you.” She shuddered, and he smiled. “Would you like that, my love? Perhaps a pretty blindfold and cloth for your lips?”

Another shudder shook her body, but she radiated uncertainty.

“Later, then.” He stroked his free hand down her side soothingly. “I will do nothing which makes you uncomfortable, Lauren, only blissfully happy.”

She turned her head to look at him. “I know, Loki.”

Again her trust humbled him, and he rolled her to her back where he could hover at her side. “ _Elskan min_ , you bewitch me.” His lips were on hers before she could respond, taking everything she offered and returning it in kind.

Starry-eyed, she stared up at him when he drew back, a haze of need surrounding her. He laced his magic into a second kiss, heating her blood, making her all but pant with desire.

“What do you want, my heart?” he asked, tracing circles on her abdomen.

Her hands threaded into his hair. “Touch me.”

“Where?”

“You know where.”

“Say the words.”

A pretty pink blush filled her face, but her fire came out in spades when she whispered sharply, “Oh merciful God of Asgard, will you please get me off?”

A small chuckle escaped him. “Cheeky girl.” But he let his hand slip beneath the sheet and vanished her gown to her squeak of surprise.

Her surprise quickly morphed into a sigh of pleasure when his fingers softly pet her mound. “Is that what you wanted, my sweet?”

“More.” She spread her legs farther apart.

“Demanding little thing, aren’t you?”

Her arms went around his neck, and she pulled him down to her. “If I am, you’ve only got yourself to blame.”

“Me?” he asked smugly when he skimmed a little lower through her curls and into silky wetness. “How is this my fault?”

“I didn’t know how good this felt before you. You make me this way, Loki.”

“And does that please you, darling?”

“Yes!” she gasped, arching into his hand when he flicked a finger over her firm bundle of nerves.

His finger skimmed her again, circling her so slowly she was writhing, arching and thrusting against him for more, but she remained quiet throughout besides small panting breaths and gasps. Her eyes pleaded with him to stop his torture, and Loki granted her a reprieve.

He sank a single long digit into the tight passage, and almost groaned when her walls gripped him. Scooting down, he whispered near her ear, “You are so tight, pet. So wet. So hot. When I finally make you mine, it will be the most exquisite coming together in history. You will fit me so well. Your body was made for mine and will receive such pleasure in our coupling you will think you had died and gone to Valhalla. Soon I will sink myself inside you, take you for my own, and you will know nothing but happiness.”

“Ah!” moaned from her lips, and he ducked his head to lave her beautiful breast with his tongue. A gentle pluck of her nipple with his lips set her keening. Again he shushed her. “You will wake the little ones,” he warned her.

A fist flew to her lips, muffling the sounds she was struggling to contain.

Loki plunged a second finger inside her. The heel of his hand came down to grind carefully into her sensitive nerves. He went back to treating her breast like a sweet, with gentle licks and soft nips.

Her body glistened in the barely there sunlight, just beginning to lighten the sky to pink. It highlighted her curves and shadowed her valleys. The golden sheet which covered her lower half shimmered and shifted with her restless legs. A flush had coloured her chest and face, and her eyes had long ago become green emeralds filled with fire.

Though his body ached, his cock the hardest he’d ever known it to be, he held himself in check, unable to tear his eyes away from the woman coming apart beneath his hand. A third finger joined the other two, and he was rearing up to seal his mouth to hers when she made to scream in ecstasy.

The tightening of her walls on his fingers and the rush of fluid over his hand, along with the clamping of her thighs around his wrist and hard thrust of her hips told the story of a powerful orgasm. One given by nothing more than his hand and mouth. Gently, he continued to press in and out, taking her even higher, send the rolling, crashing wave through her over and over until she went limp.

“Enough,” she sighed, tugging at his wrist.

“Are you sure, greedy girl? Were you not the one demanding _more_ but a few moments ago?” he teased, but he gave in and removed his fingers from her core and licked the generous offering from his fingers.

“Loki, love, I can’t feel my legs.”

A small roll of laughter had him pressing his face to her throat to stifle his amusement. “Is that so?”

“Everythin’ feels so… heavy and relaxed.”

Her eyes remained closed, and he kissed her on the cheek. “Then go back to sleep, my heart. You have earned a rest.”

“Laze around in bed all day?”

“Not all day,” he assured her when a small frown formed between her brows. “But the sun is barely up. The birds have not even begun to sing.” Loki skimmed his finger up her torso to lay over her heart. “Another hour or two won’t hurt anyone.”

“Party day…” she sighed. “Lots… to do.”

“None of which needs doing now.” He stroked her hair back in soothing passes until her body softened once more. “Whatever needs handling, my Lauren, I shall take care of it and you. You sleep, renew your energy.”

When she did not reply, he flicked his fingers, returning her previous attire, and looked her over. Gold really did suit her.

***

The sun was well up when the children stirred. Feigning sleep, Loki cradled Lauren close and watched them from behind cracked eyelids. Even if he had not set the barrier, he would have known they were awake for they were not very good at being quiet.

Benny giggled when he and Sara tiptoed closer to climb slowly up the foot of the bed. They knelt there a moment, hands muffling their laughter at playing a trick on the grownups.

Lauren sighed, and they froze. She settled, and they crept forward again.

He wondered momentarily what they were about before cluing in. At the last possible second, right before the leap came, Loki murmured, “What do you two think you are doing in _my_ bed?”

Sara shrieked, waking Lauren who jumped in his hold, while Benny broke out in nervous giggles.

“We were being Freyr and Freya from your story, sneaking up on the dragon,” Sara said, a blush on her cheeks.

“Not a dragon, precious. They fought a wyrm, a serpent, when they were young and brash and full of it, like… _you two are_!” he growled, sitting up to catch them both and wrap them in a flurry of sheets and pillows.

Lauren shrieked and giggled right along with the children until Loki drew Sara and Benny up with him and looked at her, a wicked glint in his eyes. “I think I see the wyrm now, my darlings. Best to catch her unawares!”

As a group, the three of them tackled a wide-eyed Lauren.

Loki took his fingers to her ribs, while the children gave her a few gentle smacks with the pillows. She was laughing and struggling, trying to get away when she ducked and the pillow Sara was swinging caught Loki directly in the face.

It exploded on impact sending white feathers and fluff all directions.

“Oh, dear,” Sara said, biting her lip to contain her giggles.

“Aunt Lu, Loki looks like Santa!” Benny said, clapping his hands excitedly.

Feathers fell like snow around him, swirling and dancing on the air, and coating both him and the bed in white. “Well… I believe that puts an end to the fun,” he said when Lauren could only stare at him.

“Oh, my…” she finally murmured, clearing her throat once, likely to keep from exploding in laughter. “I think, peaches, y’all should run back to your room and get dressed. Then head down to the kitchen to see if Sue Ann can fill those bellies.”

They pouted a little, but the children eventually slipped off the bed and trudged out the door, shutting it quietly behind them.

Lauren bit her lip.

Loki only glared. “I do not look like _Santa_.”

“Yes, you do!” She fell over in peals of laughter, raising a cloud of feathers with her flop. “Oh, Loki! Oh, wow! I wish I could take a picture!”

“I am so glad you can’t.” Waving his hand, he returned all the feathers to the pillow and formed it anew.

“But that was adorable,” she said from her place curled up on her side.

“You’re adorable.” He bent over her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Her hands lifted to cup and hold his face. “No, Loki. That was _adorable_! You are adorable. The way you are with them is... beautiful.”

“They are good children,” he said quietly. “It is easy.”

Gentle hands caressed his jaw. “You make me so happy, _elskan min_.”

“Darling.” His heart melted, and he lowered down to give her his weight.

“That’s seven, Loki,” she whispered, excitement shining in her eyes.

“One more, my heart. One more, and I will make you mine.”

“Tonight?” The hope in her eyes was his undoing, and he sealed their mouths together in a kiss which made thinking difficult.

“Tonight.” After the ball was over, she would be his, as he would be hers.

He could hardly wait.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Smut, NSFW Angst, Drama (this one hurt a little)

 

* * *

It took Lauren another twenty minutes to convince Loki they really did need to get up. He had roving hand syndrome, and while she was inclined toward the idea of staying put and letting him do as he wished, she knew if she didn’t make some sort of appearance soon, Magnolia was likely to come knocking. While, usually, that wouldn’t have bothered her, now, knowing what she did, Lauren had no desire to let her mother catch an eyeful of the man in the bed with her.

She wasn’t worried about Loki being wooed by the _charms_ of her mother, but more concerned with what would happen if Magnolia actually tried something.

After Loki’s reaction to Cissy yesterday, she wasn’t sure he’d handle her flirtatious mother at all well.

Finally managing to escape the arms of her lover, Lauren stepped from the bed and stretched toward the ceiling. It had been years since she’d missed a morning of yoga. It made her feel decadently slothful, a feeling she might be willing to indulge in again in the future should Loki be the reason.

“Mm, do that again, darling,” Loki crooned from his horizontal position on the bed. Covered in the green and gold sheets, his chest was bare and hair wild from her hands. His eyes were dark, sultry, and a small smirk curled the corners of his lips.

“This?” she asked with a wicked grin, lifting her hands a second time and stretching side to side.

“Indeed,” he hummed appreciatively. “You look like a sleek kitten begging for petting. Are you certain you don’t want to return to my bed and let me?” He held out his hand and curled his finger in a beckoning motion. “Come here, pretty kitty, and I will stroke all that gorgeous muscle until you purr.”

His words made her thighs quiver and her womb flutter. Her nipples immediately hardened, thrusting against the satin of her golden gown. “Loki,” she sighed, torn between the wants of her body and the demands she knew would be coming if she procrastinated any longer.

He huffed out a sound of defeat. “Fine, fine. We are up.” Throwing back the bedding, he rose to pace toward her, the bulge in his briefs clearly highlighting his half-hard state. “But I will take a kiss in place of other more pleasurable activities.”

He had her backed into the dresser, his hands pawing at her thighs in seconds as he lifted her to its surface, spilling knickknacks and scattering her makeup with his force. The bottom of her gown was rucked up to the tops of her thighs, and his fingers were dancing along them, squeezing and massaging the length, driving her wild and making her ache, and he hadn’t even kissed her yet.

“That’s… not kissin’,” she said, grabbing for his wrists when his thumbs skimmed higher.

“I will get to the kiss, pet, I will, but as I told you once before, I am of a… _tactile_ nature. I like to touch, my sweet Lauren. Today, knowing what awaits for me when we return here this evening,” he inhaled deeply, and green lights sparkled in his blue eyes, “I shall be hard pressed to keep my hands off you.”

She was sure her eyes were as big around as saucers even as all her bones melted into mint jelly. A shudder shook her when her bare back connected with the cold glass of the mirror, Loki's body pressing into hers. But, still, his lips remained hovering above, so close but so far away.

“Loki,” she whispered a near plea.

“Release me to do as I wish,” he said, a dark, sensual heat filling his voice.

Her hands loosened of their own accord, her brain in no way capable of functioning clearly when she was lost in his eyes.

A small whimper escaped her lips when his hands lifted from her thighs. A smile quirked his when he captured her wrists and brought her palms flat to his tensed abdominals. The hard ridges and deep groves had her giving a soft moan.

“Loki… please.”

Triumph flared in his eyes when she gave in, but he said nothing, just returned his palms to her thighs where he went back to kneading and massaging her flesh.

It was torture and pleasure, an exquisite combination heightened by the slow dipping of his head. The soft press of his lips. The light brush of them across hers. He sipped from her, taking gentle pulls of her bottom one as if drinking the finest wine and not wanting to finish it to swiftly for fear he would never get another taste.  

Those questing fingers made their way up with painful slowness until they rested on the tops of her thighs. There they sat, hot reminders of just how close he was to touching the now throbbing, dripping center of her.

Lauren groaned, unable to take it any longer. She slipped her hands over his stomach and around his back to sink her nails in along his spine, and gave him a yank forward, causing him to hiss at the pain of her nails in his flesh.

“Careful, kitten. Even little, you have sharp claws,” he murmured, going back to tasting her lips without having budged an inch.

“Loki,” she pouted when he released her lip. “Don’t be mean.”

A chuckle broke from his chest. “You were the one insisting we needed to get up. I could have easily remained abed, touching you,” he dragged his thumbs higher, rubbing the sides of her mound gently, “kissing you,” he nipped her lip, “stretching out your pleasure until you floated on a sea of bliss.” His mouth dropped to rain kisses along the exposed flesh of her collarbone. “Instead, I am forced to leave the comfort of our bed, because there are _things_ to do.”

Those things arrived with a sudden swift pounding upon the door which then burst inward. A flash of green had Loki looking immaculate in light grey slacks and green button down, his sleeves rolled to his elbows. His hands made quick work of pulling her gown down.

Lauren nearly whimpered, wondering how fast she could get him out of that shirt when her mother waltzing in threw her for a loop.

“Mama!” she barked, shocked at the audacity. “Least you could do is wait for an invitation!”

Magnolia took one look at Lauren sitting on the dresser, still in her night clothes, and scowled even as pink darkened her face. “Not all of us have time to laze about, Lauren Guillemin! You of all people should know the hassle of puttin’ together one of these things!”

“Of course she does,” Loki interjected, helping Lauren from the top of the dresser. “She puts on Stark’s soirees all the time. Don’t you, my love?” There was a devious light in his eyes when he caught her chin and tilted her face up. His brow rose, a quirk of amusement before he kissed her lightly. “She is simply the most talented woman. Kind, generous, and so exquisitely gorgeous it hurts my eyes to look upon her radiance.” Loki took a step back, bowed like some old world courtier, and brought her hand to his lips. “I am blessed to have such an _Ástvinur_.”

He kissed her knuckles, and green wisps of magic curled up her arm, twisting and twining, flowing over her body, leaving Lauren feeling refreshed and clothed in a sweet white dress complete with a scalloped hem which swung at her knees. Around both wrist were wide golden cuffs, inscribed with runes similar to the ones on the pendant around her throat. Something chimed in her hair when she made to shake her head at his extravagance.

“And just how am I to help settin’ things up when I’m decked out like the first lady, hm?” she asked, ignoring her mother’s sharp gasp and glare of envy.

“Why, that is what I’m for, darling. Plus, my brother will be returning at some point. What better use for Thor than an errand boy?” he asked, cheekily.

“Thor!” Magnolia squeaked. “Here? The King of Asgard _here_?”

Lauren didn’t even bother to cast her mother an annoyed glare. Of course, she knew who Thor was. Thor was a _King_. That was all the mattered in her mother’s mind. Social placement was everything to her. Thankfully, Lauren didn’t need to say anything when Magnolia dashed out as quickly as she had so rudely barged in, slamming the door behind her.

“I feel as if I should be insulted, but I do not like her enough to care she knows of my brother but not me,” Loki said, turning his attention back to Lauren, attempting to return them to their previous position.

She poked him in the chest. “I don’t think so. I’m hungry and dressed, and you, mister, can wait until later.”

“I don’t want to,” he pouted. “What’s one more kiss, my heart?”

“I’m on to you and your _one more kiss_.” Lauren gave him a little shove and stepped past him, only to be caught from behind by strong arms, and tugged into a firm chest. “Loki,” she scolded, trying to keep her voice stern but melting again when his hands lifted to cup and squeeze her breasts.

“But you look so ravishing, pet,” he murmured against her ear. “I just want to touch, taste, kiss every part of you.” His hands were down the strapless bodice of her dress before she could stop him, thumbs and fingers working over her sensitive nipples.

Her hands flew back to grip his hips. Her head landed on his shoulder. The sound of chimes or bells rang in her ears again. “Loki!” she gasped.

“I love my name on your lips.” He nipped gently at her ear, nudging her head to the side so he could scrape his teeth up and down her throat. “I was going to ask you something before your mother so rudely interrupted.”

“God… Loki, what?” He wanted to talk? Now? When she could barely focus past the pleasure searing from her breasts to her belly.

“You looked so glorious last night with the jewels hanging from your pretty nipples. You enjoyed yourself, didn’t you, pet?”

He tugged firmly on both, and she gasped out, “Yes!”

A hum, nearly a growl of excitement set his chest vibrating against her spine. “Wear something else for me today?”

“Wh-what?” she asked, another layer of excitement and a sliver of nervousness coursing through her.

“A shield, darling. A pretty shield to… remind you of me _all… day… long_ ,” he whispered against her ear.

She groaned, able to feel how excited the thought of it made him, but having had her belly button done, and receiving an education at the same time from the overly friendly piercer, Lauren moaned out softly, “But… they ain’t pierced.”

“Who needs needles when we have magic, my love? Say yes. Say yes, darling, and if you hate them, I will remove them.” He was nearly pleading by this point, hips rutting against her ass in gentle thrusts.

“Yes…”

He spun her around so fast, Lauren let out a surprised yelp. His hands made quick work of tugging her bodice down. Already swollen and firm with his playing, Lauren clenched fistfuls of his hair when Loki bent her back over his arm and sealed his lips around her right nipple. The sweeping, twisting press of his tongue and feel of his magic moving over her set her shaking. The now familiar tightening of a swiftly growing orgasm was building low in her belly.

Loki lifted his head, his devil eyes gleaming, and lowered over her other breast, watching her intently.

Lauren panted heavily, so aroused it almost hurt. “Loki, Loki, Loki,” she begged with every breath. “Please!” His mouth lifted from her flesh, and Lauren cried out in denial.

“My sweet love,” he crooned, skimming his fingers down the valley between her breasts, down her torso, her belly, and under to cup her through her dress. “Now.”

His hand lifted away, and she had a moment of complete disbelief, thinking he would leave her on the brink of ecstasy, only to be shocked when his hand returned in a gentle swat straight to her bundle of nerves. The orgasm crested so quickly, she didn’t even have time to inhale let alone scream.

Back arching, Lauren clung to him. Her vision darkened at the edges and her legs went weak. Fire seemed to tumble through her veins. It seared her from the inside out and left her breathless, limp over his arm, held up only by his strength.

“That’s eight, my darling. The debt is paid. From here, all your pleasure is my doing. Mine alone.” Devil eyes of blue and green peered at her above a smile of beautiful wickedness. Sensuous, plump lips, one’s bitten red by his teeth, pursed together as he leaned closer and placed a kiss directly over her heart.

“Loki… that was…” she had no words.

“I know. I know, my darling. You have such sensitive breasts. You are so responsive.” He gently kissed first one, then the other before drawing her upright and turning her to face the mirror. “Look. Look how beautiful you are.”

She’d momentarily forgotten what he’d been doing to bring this about and gasped upon seeing herself.

Loki’s big hands came up to lift her breasts and stroke the sides with his thumbs. “What do you think?”

It looked as if her areolas were adorned with suns of old gold. The buds of her nipples were surrounded, and she reached up to touch one. Sensitive still, she shuddered when the aftershock rippled through her body. “I look…”

“Like a goddess,” he breathed against her ear. “My Goddess adorned for battle.”

“Yes,” she sighed, her gaze drifting to his in the mirror.

He brushed his finger over one. “Every time you feel them today, you will be reminded that you are my goddess, my Valkyrie. My most perfect, sweet, delectable, Lauren.”

“Yes.” Her hands came up to cover his. “Yours.”

“My everything,” he said, placing a kiss on her shoulder. “My life. My love. My Lauren.”

Flushed with pleasure, Lauren turned in his arms to throw hers around his neck, moaning when her chest met the cotton of his shirt and kissed him deeply. When she lifted her head to catch a breath, she gently touched his cheek. “My Loki,” she whispered. “Mine.”

***

He held her for a moment longer, basking in her love. Then, Thor’s words from earlier crawled into his ear and burrowed into his brain. They would not leave him be, filling him with guilt and he knew he had to tell her. “Lauren… I have to tell you something.” With a flick of his fingers, he righted her clothing. A second turned the children’s bed back into the sofa it had been, and he led her toward it.

Loki drew Lauren down to sit in his lap and held her close. If his arms were a little tight, it was only because he’d gone from deliriously happy to terrified in a heartbeat.

She settled against him and worriedly touched his chin. “Loki? What is it?”

He took a shaky breath and was unable to meet her gaze. “I have not been completely truthful with you.”

“What?” She pulled back, creating distance he had no desire to allow. “You’ve lied to me? You promised!”

“No! Never! I didn’t lie,” he assured her, shaking his head. “But I have not told you everything about the _brúðr steinn_ and about what an _Ástvinur_ truly is.”

Her body slowly softened. “May I ask a question first?”

“Anything,” he said, clutching her closer.

“Do you love me? Really?” A determined fire filled her eyes, but behind it there was fear.

He lifted a hand to her soft cheek. “Yes. Yes. A million times yes. You are the very heart beating in my chest, Lauren. My very soul. That is what I need to explain to you.”

Her hands came up to his face, her thumbs stroking along his jaw. “But you love me? This isn’t some game or lie or trick?” Tears filled her eyes and crept down her cheeks.

“More than life itself,” he assured her. “Nothing I have told you has been a lie. Everything has been the truth. I never have, and never will tell you a falsehood, my darling.” He threaded his fingers into her hair and tugged her closer, kissing the tears from her cheeks.

“But you left somethin’ out?”

“Yes,” he exhaled, bringing her down a little more so he could press their foreheads together.

“What?” she asked, stroking her fingers over his skin. Her nerves were nearly palatable, and the magic in the _brúðr steinn_ crackled.

“It’s not bad,” he said, fingers flying to her throat to try and tame the wild magic, “at least… I don’t think so.”

Her whole body tensed, and she pulled back enough to glare at him. “Loki you’re scarin’ me. Just spit it out!”

The little bit of sass made him smile. “You know I’m a dark god.”

“You’re not _dark,_ Lok-”

He closed his hand over her mouth. “Lauren, let me talk now.” The flash of green emeralds had him biting back a bigger grin.

“Well, hurry the hell up!” she quipped when he let go, scowling at him. “Sittin’ here freakin’ me out and sayin’ foolish things.”

Rolling his eyes, he began anew. “You know I’m _considered_ a dark god on Asgard. Being darker comes with its perks as well as its determinants. We are quite powerful, but we have a tendency to be more… wicked. It is because the dark in us outweighs the light. We have less… good in us to begin with.”

“Loki, no…” She trailed off when he gave her a look of exasperation.  “Sorry.”

“Yes, well. It is what it is, my love. It is the path of a dark god. That being said, when those of us who are dark come into our power in full, we create what is known as a _brúðr steinn_. It is the stone which binds us to our _Ástvinur_. She or he who is the guiding force of light to balance the dark within us.”

She blinked at him before lifting a hand to her chest. “Me?” she whispered, her eyes very wide.

“Yes, you.” Loki couldn’t help but smile. He carded his fingers through her hair, having twisted it back off her face, but left the lower half down to curl on her shoulders the way he liked. He’d placed a golden comb in the mass this time, one with tiny flowers which chimed like bells when they moved together. 

“How long have you known?” Her eyes were still big, but the teal of shock and trepidation was fading into her usual sage wonderment.

“I have been attracted to you since the day we met, but the moment I realized you were my _Ástvinur_ occurred when I placed my ring on your finger, and you went along with it. You became something so incredible at that moment. Ablaze with fire and mischief.” She blushed and looked away, but he caught her chin and drew her eyes back. “I had thought to court you as it was. I have loved you, Lauren, for a long time, but that moment, and then later, here in your room, I just knew. You were mine. The one I thought lost to me. The one I don’t deserve. The one fate has seen fit to grant me anyway.” Tears, again, gather on her lashes, and he fell a little deeper in love with his soft-hearted woman.

“What does it all mean?” she asked, wiping at her face.

He magicked her a handkerchief and wiped her cheeks himself. “You’re my redemption, Lauren. My salvation from a life of struggling to balance myself. To question every decision as an act of good or evil. You, my heart, are my guiding light.”

She melted into him, her arms going around his neck as she cried, tears of happiness Loki hoped, against his throat.

“Are you alright, my darling?” he asked after a moment when the wetness soaking his skin seemed to slow.

“You made me special,” she whispered, a sound so low he had to strain to hear her words.

“You have always been special. It is a shame certain people can’t see it.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She tucked her knees up, curling into his lap like a small child. “Tell me about the _brúðr steinn_. I know there’s somethin’ up with it.”

He tucked the hanky in his pocket, figuring she’d need it again when she didn’t have a death grip on his neck. “You are correct. It is incredibly special. The combined magic of three gods and the flames of Valhalla went into its creation for this very moment. While it’s true the _brúðr steinn_ provides protection for you and a connection to you for me, its purpose is sealing an _Ástvinur_ to their dark god.”

“Sealin’ sounds very permanent, Loki,” Lauren grumbled.

“I’m afraid it is quite permanent, pet, but would you really want to leave me knowing all I have to offer?” He knew he sounded rather smug and full of himself but didn’t care.

She didn’t even try to joke. “No, Loki. I don’t mind that we’re meant to be. I think it’s… romantic.”

A flush coloured her cheeks when he tilted her chin up to see her beautiful eyes. “Ah, there’s your soft heart.” The _tsk_ sound she made was very close to the one he often used and made him snicker.

“I think you like my soft heart.”

“Darling,” he bent to place a chaste kiss upon her lips. “I love your soft heart.”

“Stop stallin’, Loki,” she said with a quick smile.

“Right. The _brúðr steinn_ helps establish the bond between us. It ties you to me so we may be together.”

“But for how long? Loki, I’m mortal.” Sadness filled her eyes.

“You won’t be if we complete the binding.”

What!” she gasped, jerking away and nearly tumbling from his lap.

Catching her around the waist, Loki held her close, knowing this was the kicker. She would accept or reject him, here and now. “Lauren, my heart. I’m a god. I will live many _thousands_ of lifetimes. I couldn’t imagine any of them without you at my side.”

She blinked slowly, her mouth slightly open and mind clearly working. “But… I’ll outlive everyone?”

“Everyone here, yes. It’s another reason Asgardians do not often mingle with other races. We watch those closest to us grow old and die while we remain unchanging. But you could come home with me, then. We could return to Asgard. You would be welcome. Loved and admired because you are an _Ástvinur._ You are very important to my people. It is considered an honour and a blessing where I am from to be an _Ástvinur_.”

She was quiet for a long moment before Lauren slowly shook her head. “I… I need to think… about this.”

“What?” he whispered, the shock making him almost mute.

“This is… a lot, Loki.” She looked at him with eyes pleading for him to understand.

Hope was quickly dying inside him, falling to ruin at his feet. “Please, please, Lauren…”

She pushed from him, got to her feet, and brought her hand to the _brúðr steinn_. “You’ve… you’ve got to give me time... time to think about... all of this.”

Loki could only stare at her, his heart breaking to join the pieces of his last hope. The sound of the Bifröst opening had him lurching to his feet before he did something atrocious, like beg.

“Very well. I will give you time.” He turned on his heel and left via the balcony doors.

“Loki!” she called out behind him, but he couldn’t - _wouldn’t_ \- let her see him break.

He leapt the railing before she caught up to him and was headed toward Thor by the time she reached it.

Thor’s gaze was on Lauren, but Loki’s was on the young boy standing with Thor.

“Brother? I thought I asked for a girl?”

“Loki, why is you _Ástvinur_ upset?” Thor countered.

The cold, hard face he turned to Thor was not one he’d had cause to use on his brother in some years. “Because I took the advice of my _King_ and now my _Ástvinur_ does not wish to see me.”

“Loki, what…” Thor gasped, horror written all over his face.

“You. Boy. What is your name?” Loki asked the stranger, refusing to speak on it.

“Svengil, my prince,” he answered, bowing his head.

“Why are you here?” Loki snapped.

Eyes of brown widened, filling with nerves and not a little fear. “I am alone on Asgard. I’ve always thought the humans intriguing and wish to learn more. I will gladly serve an elder to do so.”

The fact he stood his ground impressed Loki. “What training have you had?”

“Basic combat training, highness, and I grew up the son of a farmer before my family… passed.”

Loki nodded. If he’d been orphaned young, he would have been fostered into the army, but at this age, he wouldn’t have completed his training past the basics. The boy looked to be sixteen, a youth who would not draw attention to himself. Easily passed off as a boy who needed a home and found it with a kindly old woman.

“You’ll do.” Loki waved a hand and created a portal toward which he dragged the boy. 

***

“Loki! Wait!” Thor called out, reaching for his brother, but the portal snapped shut, and Loki was gone. “Dammit, brother,” he hissed softly, well able to hear the quiet sobs of Lauren as she collapsed to the ground on the upper story of her home. 

It appeared he was going to have to fix one of Loki’s messes.

With a deep breath, not one to do well against a woman’s tears, Thor changed to his preferred Midgardian clothing, jeans and a zip-up hoodie over a t-shirt, in a flash of lightning, and packed the basket he was carrying with him toward the house. At the base, he realized it was far worse than expected.

Lauren sounded utterly heartbroken, and magic crackled around her.

“Damn you, Loki.” He leapt to the second story with ease, stepped over the railing, and set everything on the floor to kneel down with Lauren. He drew her into his arms and held her gently while the sorrow shook her. “There, there, darling. Everything will be alright.”

“No! It-it won’t!”

Her tears fell like rain on his shoulder, and thunder rolled in the distance with his anger at Loki. “Lauren, my dear, I need you to calm down and tell me what happened. Loki said he told you everything, but what has so upset you?”

She snuffled softly and wiped viciously at her face. When she turned her green eyes to his, Thor jerked. He had never seen them so pale before, and her face was bleached white, almost blending with her dress. “I was worried cause, I’m mortal, and he’s not, but when he explained… I realized I’d have to watch everyone I know and love, _die_ … and… I asked for time, to think about all this. He got upset and stormed off.”

Thor could have smacked his brother for walking out on her in this state. “Lauren… he should have explained all of this before he ever offered the _brúðr steinn_. Asgardians know what they are getting into when a claim of _Ástvinur_ is made _._ I’m sorry he upset you.”

“I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was sayin’ _no_.”

He stiffened. “Why would you say no when you know what is at stake?”

“At stake?” She pulled back to look at him, a frown marring her forehead.

“Yes.” Thor frowned just as hard. “You said he told you everything.”

“Clearly, he didn’t,” she huffed.

With a growl, Thor scrubbed a hand down his face. This was not his job. Loki should have told her, but if he were too stubborn to explain to her what would befall him if she said no, if she broke the binding, Thor would. “An _Ástvinur_ is the guiding force of light for a dark god.”

“Got that part. Jump to the punch line, Thor.”

The colour was coming back to her face and her eyes. The _feisty_ Loki had mentioned making an appearance, and he thanked Odin for it. He could take snap and snarl far easier than tears. “The _brúðr steinn_ binds the two of you together. Your _light_ , your goodness balances Loki’s darkness. I can see it happening already.”

“What happens if a bindin’ fails, Thor? What ain’t you tellin’ me?” Her hands closed into fists in the front of his shirt.

He looked away, unable to say it to her face. “He dies.”

“Wh- _what_!” she gasped.

The horror written on her face when he glanced back gave Thor a modicum of hope. “Not just dies, but I’d have to kill him.”

“Sweet, thorny Jesus! What the _hell_ are you talkin’ about? Kill your own brother. You can’t _kill_ , Loki! Not after everythin’ he’s been through, gone through, done for you! Why would you even say that?”

Tears were, again, pouring down her face, but Thor wasn’t sure if she was aware of the fact she was slapping at him with every word, hitting at his chest and arms. He captured her hands and brought them to his heart. “Lady Lauren, I promise you, it is not my _wish_ to kill my brother. I would rather lose a limb than cause Loki pain, but if you fail to complete the binding he’s begun, albeit, without your consent, Loki will slip fully into the darkness, go mad, and have to be destroyed!”

Her gasp was sharp and full of pain. “No.”

“Yes. As Odin is my father, _I swear it_!”

“Why wouldn’t… why wouldn’t he tell me?” she whispered, horror in every word.

Thor released her hands to gently cup her face. “Lauren… do you love him?”

She nodded against his fingers. “Yes, that hasn’t changed.”

“Could you see yourself without him?” The look of pain which twisted her features told him no. “Then, is it so bad? Yes, there will be people in your life whom you will lose, but you will have me, you will have my family. You know Sif already. You will have Loki. And, fates willing, you will have children.”

“Children,” she whispered. “But I thought… they’ll be half human.”

A sad smile curled his lips, realizing instantly where Loki had gone wrong with her. “No, darling, they will be all Asgardian, and some frost giant I suppose.”

Her hand flew to her lips as fresh tears formed. “I won’t… I won’t lose… my babies?”

Thor shook his head.

She crumpled in relief.

“And do not think of it as _losing_ family, but as becoming the guardian of your lineage. Who can say they have an ancestor who follows them through the ages?”

Her laugh was small and watery, but it was still a laugh. “Thank you, Thor.”

“For all Loki has complained of me being quick to wrath, _he_ is no better. You hurt him, Lauren. Deeply though you did not mean to. He seeks only to make you happy, even as he grows in power with each stage of your binding. One day, he will be a most powerful symbol of good for Asgard, if you accept him.”

“You keep talkin’ Asgard. Does this mean he can go home?”

He nodded, gently wiping her cheeks with his hands. The fact she’d thought enough to ask that question, made Thor adore her all the more. “A dark god with an _Ástvinur_ will do nothing to jeopardize her happiness. And as you are sweet, and light, and goodness, your heart pure and kind, you would be unhappy if he did something evil, yes?”

“Of course, but Loki’s not evil.”

“He once slipped quite far to the dark side, Lauren,” Thor sighed, getting to his feet and bringing her with him.

She bit her lip, glancing toward the piece of lawn he’d scorched with the Bifröst’s opening. “Are you… _sure_ it was his doin’?”

“Lauren? What are you saying?”

Hesitation held her still before she shook her head, apparently deciding against telling him what she was thinking.

“Nothin’. Just…” she looked up at him with eyes full of censure. “Next time you happen to be around him without his shirt on, ask him to show you his Jotun form.”

“He showed you?” Thor was quite impressed she didn’t appear afraid. Loki didn’t usually like revealing his true self for it tended to… upset people.

“He’s beautiful in either skin, Thor, and anyone who says otherwise can sit on a cactus!” Lauren snarled, crossing her arms.

That caused Thor to grin, big and full, and cup her face a second time so he could press a kiss to her forehead. “You are perfect for him.” But she was his _Ástvinur,_ so how could she not be?

She blushed a vibrant pink across her cheeks. “Um… who was that with you, and where did Loki take him?”

He let out a booming laugh. “Ah, so he kept it a surprise. I wondered.”

“What?” she asked suspiciously.

Her narrowed eyes and hands on her hips did little to intimidate him. “I will leave it to Loki to explain. I am certain he will be back shortly.”

The basket at his feet, however, was another story. From it wiggled a ball of fluff in grey and white and streaks of black to land with a flop at Lauren’s feet.

“You have a puppy!” she squealed, dropping to her knees to pick up and cuddle the ball of fluff who immediately started licking her face.

“Your niece and nephew have a puppy. It was Loki’s idea,” Thor said when she looked sharply at him.

“Oh my. I wish he would have asked. Sara is allergic to dogs.” She held the pup out and rubbed noses with it. “Too bad, cause…” she paused and gave the pup’s wiggling bottom a look, “he’s rather adorable.”

“It will be of no concern.”

“Thor,” she said with a voice full of patience. “Allergies aren’t somethin’ to mess around with.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “He is not a _dog_ but a _dyrehund_. He is an Asgardian guard hound. They neither shed nor cause the dreaded _allergies_.”

Thor bent to take the pup in one hand, and return Lauren to her feet with the other. “Come. Until Loki returns, I will keep you company.” A touch of sorrow filled her eyes, and Thor cupped her chin. “Lauren, may I speak freely?”

“Always, Thor.”

She looked at him with those big green eyes from her angel face surrounded by her hair like spun sunshine. The magic in the _brúðr steinn_ had settled, the exquisite necklace no longer crackling with distress. She was lovely, elegant, even with tear stained face and smudged makeup. Clearly, Loki had dressed and adorned her as befit his _Ástvinur_. The comb in her hair, as well as the cuffs around her wrists, were either incredibly good replicas of Frigga’s or Loki had raided the family vault before he’d left Asgard. If Loki had, he couldn’t fault his brother for giving them to Lauren. She looked beautiful in them.

“When I first found out Loki had given you the _brúðr steinn_ , I was angry with him, but only because I was afraid,” he rushed to assure her when hurt filled her face. “It seemed like I had only just gotten him back. The Loki I remember from our youth. He was still an evil shit who tricked me more often than not, but he was my _best_ friend. To find he’d claimed you his _Ástvinur_ …” He shook his head. “I couldn’t believe he would do something so foolish. Not here. Not on _Midgard_. It was insane!”

“Why?” she asked softly.

“I’m sure you have seen it. Loki is far more protective and possessive of you, of anyone he deems _his_ , is he not?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes, but… I just thought that was normal for all you Asgardians.”

He did have a tendency to hover around Jane when they’d still been together. “It is… different for a dark god.” He sighed and scratched the pup’s ears when he wriggled. “Imagine if you will, a person who has fought an internal battle of good versus evil all their life. Then, finally, they succumb to the darkness and fall so far they feel they can never come back from it. Now, imagine that same person, broken, hurting, is handed his salvation in the one, and only form of redemption he knows comes directly from the fates. Suddenly, he is faced with the truth. He is not irredeemable. He is not destined to walk through the ages alone. He can have all he’s ever desired. He can be _happy_. Would that man not do… whatever it took to see he never lost his greatest treasure? Even if that meant aggressively defending it?”

“I… I suppose,” she said, turning contemplative.

“On Asgard, what you have here is so special, so joyously celebrated, when I told our father Loki had found his _Ástvinur_ … he laughed. He was so happy, Lauren, and when you are ready, he desires to meet you.” He reached out to touch her cheek. “The woman who can save his wayward son.”

Lauren swallowed thickly and turned away to face the expanse of lawn. “But… what if… I fail?”

“Do you love my brother?”

“Asked and answered, majesty. Move on,” she muttered, crossing her arms and gripping her elbows.

“Then that is all that matters. Love him, Lauren, as you have been.” He shifted to lean against the railing and smiled at her. “There are five stages to a binding. Each brings with it, its own challenges to face. Everything from love to acceptance. Understanding each other’s strengths and failings. Sharing of one’s deepest secrets. Usually, such things take time. Days, weeks, sometimes a month or more. It is a journey depending on how honest you are with each other. The pair is given time to bond, be together in an environment without stress to allow for the greatest chance of success.”

A small laugh, slightly bitter, escaped Lauren’s lips. “No wonder I screwed things up. Things haven’t exactly been stress-free these last few days.”

“You are already stage four.”

“What!” she gasped, staring at him agape.

“Stage four. In what, three days?” She nodded slowly, her eyes huge. “You aren’t failing, Lauren. You’re doing something exceptionally _right_ , little sister. Wonderfully right.”

She threw herself at him and hugged him tightly, causing the puppy to lick wildly at her face. Lauren gave a delighted laugh and pulled back to ruffle his ears.

“Now _that_ is a much better sound to hear from your lips, dear one.” He swept her into his side and hugged her gently a second time. “Thank you.”

“For what? I should be thankin’ you.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “You’ve helped me understand so much.”

“My thanks are for seeing Loki for who he really is. He loves you so much, and he is not a bad person, just a little lost.”

A sweet pink filled her cheeks. “You saw him for all of twenty minutes last night. How can you tell?”

His big, booming laugh filled the air. “Little sister, I only needed seconds to figure that out!” He wasn’t about to admit to listening to his brother moon over her for months, not when he could use that information to embarrass Loki in the future.

Lauren took the puppy from Thor and cuddled him close. “C’mon, _majesty_ ,” she teased. “Let’s put _that_ ,” she pointed at the hammer sitting with the basket, “somewhere no one’s goin’ to accidentally kick it.”

“That was one time, and I said I was sorry,” he pouted.

“I broke two toes, Thor,” she quipped, striding away. “Just put it in my room, and we can introduce this little fella to the kids. I really hope, Sara doesn’t have a problem with him.”

“She won’t,” Thor assured her, hefting his hammer and the basket the pup had travelled in. “ _Dyrehund_ ’s are not your Midgardian dogs. This pup is young yet, half the size he will be once full grown, but when Loki returns, he will set the ground rules for his charge.”

“Charge?” she frowned, motioning Thor to set his hammer on a dresser while turning to check her make up. She bent over only to jerk upright and give a strange shudder.

It concerned him. “Lauren? Are you well?”

“Fine! Nothing’s wrong,” she squeaked, blushing red. Darting her eyes back to the mirror, she used a little sponge to remove the streaks of displaced colour from beneath her eyes.

“Hm…” He eyed her a moment longer before glancing around the room, noting the bed which was typical of Loki’s preferred state of rest. “I see Loki has been redecorating.”

The blush in her cheeks burned hotter. “It’s… um… a very nice bed.”

She glossed her lips as he grinned. “I imagine it is.”

As her face turned cherry red, she muttered, “Shut up, Thor,” and headed for the door into the house while he chuckled along behind her.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: mild swearing, angst

 

* * *

Loki stepped through to the gravel road on the outskirts of Ellie’s property with the boy in tow, releasing him only when the portal snapped shut behind them, cutting off Thor and his cry. He had no desire to speak with his _King_ at this time. Not when the intense fluctuations of the distressed _brúðr steinn_ seemed to prick and sting his very soul.

His entire body hurt. Joints ached. Muscles screamed. His head throbbed like the Hulk had given him another beating. He was tied to the _brúðr steinn_ by blood and magic, and it was howling for him to make it right, but the only way he could _fix_ this was to do what she’d asked.

She needed time. Needed to _think_. So Loki gave her what she wanted.

The boy, Svengil, stood quietly at his side while Loki tried to fight down the turmoil inside him. To find some semblance of calm before he introduced the young man to Ellie, but it was hard. It was so hard and so painful he finally had to clutch a hand to his chest.

“My lord,” the boy said, appearing before him. “Just breathe.”

“What do you think I am trying to do?” Loki snapped.

Svengil flinched but didn’t retreat, again impressing Loki with his fortitude. “You have an upset _Ástvinur_. Your body and heart are fighting what your head is telling you is the right thing to do.” He reached out, hesitated, and then touched Loki’s elbow lightly. “It will be alright.”

Loki only sighed and looked away. The boy had no idea of what he spoke, and yet, he wasn’t wrong either. Instincts old as time fought him like an animal to return to the house and do whatever it took to win her acceptance.

She loved him. He loved her. Why couldn’t that be enough? She was _made_ for him. His one and only. The only woman he’d ever loved other than Frigga. Why didn’t she want him? What did she have to think about?

The twisting, writhing coil of emotion from Lauren slowly settled into a throbbing ache in his chest, and Loki took a gasping breath. Thor must have gone to her, helped calm her where he could not, and though he was thankful for his brother’s assistance, he resented him for it too. Lauren could take comfort in Thor where she could no longer find it in him. It wasn’t fair.

A flare of irrational anger and jealousy tried to overwhelm him, but Loki fought it back. This was Thor. This was his brother. Thor would never try to steal his _Ástvinur_.

He took a deep breath, blew it out, and focused back on the boy.

Svengil was watching him intently, but it was concern which filled his eyes more so than fear.

“You are not afraid of me. Why?” Loki asked, finding it mildly irritating.

“You have an _Ástvinur_. If the fates have granted her to you after all you have done, you cannot be all bad.” He shrugged one thin shoulder.

While young still, he had the makings of an Asgardian about him. The boy would one day carry the weight and breadth of shoulders like Thor. Already they were showing the early definition of muscle from his training. Skin of bronze and eyes of deep brown watched him from beneath thick brows and shaggy hair of inky black. He had a very square jaw, one which, had he chosen to stay in the ranks, would have served him well for it was strong and would have taken a punch easily.  

Still, the boy’s cavalier attitude pissed Loki off.

He pulled himself up to his full height and let his power coat him in gold and green. When it retreated, he was garbed as a prince of Asgard in leathers and armour, and armed to the teeth. “Just because she has been revealed to me does not mean I am soft, nor one to be brushed off and disrespected!” he hissed, wrapping his fingers around the boy’s throat. “I could snap your neck without a single bit of remorse. Remember to whom you speak, boy!”

A smile twitched at the corner of Svengil’s lips. His arms remained passively at his sides. “Yes, milord.”

“You placate me.”

“Yes, milord.” He had the audacity to chuckle.

Loki let him go with a huff and returned his attire to what it had been. “You have more balls than brains, boy.”

The boy bowed deeply. “I have the utmost respect for you, Highness, but you would not kill me. It would aggrieve your _Ástvinur_ , something I know you would never do.”

Perhaps the boy wasn’t as dumb as he seemed. “You may address her as Lady Lauren. She is the granddaughter of the woman to whom you will serve.” He flicked his wrist toward the house still hidden by trees. “She lives yonder. Lady Ellie is very important to my lady, as she is to me. She needs caring for, but she will likely prove stubborn if such an offer is made.”

“An independent lady. As are most elders.” Svengil nodded thoughtfully.

His easy acceptance and quiet manner had Loki narrowing his eyes. “What do you want out of this?”

“Highness?” The boy looked at him sharply.

“What game do you play with me? I am the master of all games. Tricking the trickster god is not easily done. So, speak. What do you wish from this? What is it you hope to gain ingratiating yourself with the royal family?”

He snapped to attention, losing the persona of _boy_ in an instant. “When my services are no longer required, I would seek to join your… Avengers.”

Not at all the answer he’d expected, Loki was momentarily taken aback. “You want to be an Avenger? Why?”

A flicker of purple sparked around the boy, morphing into flowing lines of elegant magic.

Loki hummed in surprise. “You are more than you seem.”

“It was how I escaped the death which befell my family. Thieves came in the night to our farm, killed my mother and father and elder brother. My magic manifested to shield both myself and my sister, but not before she took an arrow to the back. She died in my arms. I was seven. I want to help others. I couldn't help her or them, but I want to help others,” he finished in a rush.

No older than Sara was now when he'd lost everyone, there was a wealth of pleading in his eyes, but the determination to be taken seriously also resided there. “You’ve had training in this as well?”

“Yes, milord.” He nodded, running through a series of tricks to show his skill without being asked.

“Hm,” Loki nodded slowly. “You are young yet. When Lauren and I are in residence, I will continue your training.”

Svengil’s eyes grew enormous. “Really?”

“And, if you can pass my tests, I will speak with the others.”

“Yes!” He leapt into the air, throwing a fist toward the sky in his excitement.

Loki chuckled, finally seeing the boy again. “It will not be easy.”

“I would expect nothing less, highness.” Svengil bowed a second time.

Waving him off, Loki continued toward the house. “We will express to Lady Ellie how you are in need of a home for a time. We will see if she will take the bait.”

“Should I… change?” Svengil asked, eyeing Loki’s clothing.

Loki returned the favour. “No. You will suffice as you are.” In tunic, breeches, and boots all in shades of brown and in the style preferred by most Asgardians, it might prove to intrigue Ellie enough to say yes.

The turn into her yard was as stunning this second time around as it had been the first time, and set Svengil gasping.

“She does all this on her own?”

“Indeed,” Loki murmured, spying her sitting on her front porch.

“Disgraceful!” Svengil hissed.

Loki made no comment but continued up the path. When he reached the stairs to her front door, he noted she was sitting at a small patio table with a pitcher of her tea and three glasses waiting. “Lady Ellie. You appear radiant this morning.”

She patted her hair and blushed, waving the other hand at him. “Oh, do go on, Mister Mischief. You flatter an old woman.”

He captured the flailing fingers and brought them to his lips as he bowed over her hand. “Flattery is easy when the one being flattered is as lovely as you.”

“Bah!” she huffed, but her blush remained and was joined by a pleased smile. “Sit, sit. Let me see the boy.”

“Excuse me?” Loki asked in surprise.

“The boy! The boy! Move, move.” She swatted at him to get him out of the way. “C’mon, child.” Ellie crooked her fingers toward Svengil. “Let this old woman see you.”

He was staring at her with such awe, Loki had to fight not to snicker. “I should have known. One cannot fool a seer.”

“Pish!” she smirked at him. “Maybe I had an inklin’ you was comin’.”

Svengil knelt at her side. “It is my honour to meet you, Lady Ellie. His Highness, the God Loki has told me of your kindness and generosity.”

“His Highness?” she giggled and tossed Loki a look. “Them’s some airs you’ve gone and put on, Mister Mischief. You in high cotton now?”

“One cannot change the circumstance of one's birth, lady, now can one?” he asked her with equal sass.

She huffed at him before turning her focus back to the boy clutching the arm of her chair. Svengil looked utterly enraptured by her, but, such was the way with elders. Those old enough to have her look about them on Asgard were revered for their age and wisdom. There was always much to learn seated at the feet of an elder.

Ellie patted both his cheeks and ruffled his hair. “So, it’s a home you be needin’?” He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving her bright ones. “It’s good I have one with extra space, then, hm?”

“Yes, lady.” He nodded vigorously.

She patted his face again. “You go on and call me Gran like everyone else. All that _lady_ stuff gets tiresome after a while.” She sent a teasing glance Loki’s direction.

“Ah, how you wound me, Lady Ellie,” Loki pouted.

Something sharp and hard came to her eyes. It almost made him shiver before they returned to the boy along with her sweet smile.

“You get yourself a glass of tea, child, and go have yourself a look around. We’ll get to know one another in a titch, but his highness and I have some talkin’ to do.”

Svengli cast him a quick glance to which Loki nodded, and helped himself to the tea on the table, pouring all three glasses before taking his and heading out into the garden.

Ellie picked hers up and took a slow sip.

Loki mimicked her action.

When she set hers back on the table, the sharp look had returned to her eyes. “I had the uncontrollable desire to turn the cards this mornin’. What did you do?”

He stared at her aghast. “Nothing!”

“Don’t you be givin’ me that _nothin’_ bullshit! Y’all went and done somethin’ stupid. Cards don’t read that way when you haven’t put your foot in your mouth so far you come away tastin’ your own ass,” she muttered.

Loki stared at her a moment, both amused and astounded. “I believe you lied to me when you said you _dabble_ , darling Ellie.”

“Dabble. See stuff. Whatever.” She shrugged. “Why don’t you tell me why you look like there’s a hole in your chest which is fixin’ to bleed all over my porch?”

The way she was staring at him, he felt all of five years old again when he’d broken Frigga’s favourite vase and blamed it on Thor. He hadn’t held up any better under her piercing stare either. “I explained to Lauren a few… Asgardian things I may have… left out.”

“This have to do with that fancy-schmancy necklace she was wearin’?”

He nodded. “Lauren is my _Ástvinur_. The woman the fates saw fit to grant me to help me balance myself.”

“You’d best explain that with a few more words there, mister. I’m old. Spell it out for me.”

Loki did in much the same way he had Lauren while listening to the _brúðr steinn_ surge with Lauren’s emotions. When he finished, Ellie sat quietly, looking out over her gardens and the boy who wandered amongst the flowers.

“C’mere, Loki.” She crooked her fingers at him and patted the seat of the chair beside hers.

He thought it odd when they sat across from each other, but did as requested and changed seats, so he sat the next chair over. With his elbows on his knees, he leaned toward her, waiting patiently for whatever verdict or words of sage wisdom she saw fit to impart to him.

Ellie turned from her quiet contemplation to stare him straight in the eyes, leaned closer, reached out, and slapped him hard in the back of the head. “You young dumb fool!”

“Ow!” He jolted upright and rubbed the back of his head. “What was that for?”

“That tears it. All men are imbeciles,” she muttered. “Gods ain’t any different.”

“I beg your pardon?” Loki grumbled, the smarting of the back of his head beginning to ebb.

“You really don’t get it, do you?” she huffed, glaring at him, causing Loki to lean away in fear of another box around the ears.

“No, I’m afraid I don’t understand what you are on about.”

“And that’s what makes you a big dumb doofus!” Her palm coming down on the tabletop shook the glass, pitcher, and Loki’s confidence.

“Well then, perhaps you could explain it to this big, dumb doofus!” he snapped, earning himself an even firmer glare.

“Alright, because clearly, you need an education in women. When Lauren accepted that fancy bobble of yours, did she know any of this?”

“Well… no.” He tried not to fidget beneath her ire.

“And if your brother hadn’t prodded you into it, would you have told her before completin’ this last step?”

“I…” He closed his mouth, unsure what his answer would be.

“Hm. So you spring this on my granddaughter, take away her right to choose for herself, and bind her to you without so much as a _howdy do_ or _by your leave_? And you _don’t_ expect her to need a moment to figure her feelin’s out? You’re lucky she didn’t bring down the county!”

“But you don’t understand! I need her! She’s everything to me,” Loki tried to explain.

“Peaches,” she sighed in a voice full of pity. “Y’all gone and done yourself a very, very foolish thing.”

The pity pricked his ego. “If she denies me, it means my death.”

Her eyes widened in horror. “What?”

“If she breaks the binding I've begun, I will be driven mad, the darkness will overtake me, and my brother will strike me dead before I can turn into an even worse monster than I have already become.”

She pressed a shaking hand to her mouth. “Oh, oh, Loki…”

“I need her, Ellie,” he whispered, slumping forward in his chair. “I _need_ her. She’s my heart.”

A frail hand landed lightly on his head, and she carded her fingers through his hair in soft strokes. “Oh, peaches. You really made a mess of things.”

“I know.” The burning behind his eyes surprised him. It had been years since he'd shed a tear, but he was terrified, more so of losing her than of dying. If he lost her, he wouldn’t want to live any longer.

“So… what are you going to do about it?”

“I don't know.”

“Hm. God of Tricks. God of Lies. I didn't think you'd lie to yourself.”

His head jerked up, knocking her hand from his hair. “I do not lie to myself!”

She looked at him for a long moment with eyes of ancient wisdom. No human should have such eyes, and Loki suddenly wondered if there was more to the lineage of his Lauren than he’d thought.

“Then tell me, your highness. Why didn't you tell my Lulu all this from the start?”

“I…” He swallowed, again at a loss for words. “I didn't think of it.”

“Lie.” She shot him a glare.

“It happened very quickly.”

“Liar liar, pants on fire,” she muttered, returning to sipping her tea.

Loki clenched his fists, the sea of seething pain inside him not giving him a moment’s peace. “I was afraid she wouldn’t want me.”

“Ah, closer, but not quite.” Ellie leaned in and cupped Loki's chin. “Now, tell me the _truth_ , child.”

His heart pounded in his chest. The _brúðr steinn_ sang a song of sorrow, of pain, of despair. He broke beneath the kindness of her stunning eyes. “I was afraid she’d reject me.”

“Why?”

“Because…” He looked away and down, unable to meet her gaze. “I’m never good enough.”

“Ah. There’s the truth of your heart.” She released him to brush her knuckles of over his cheek. “To bad it too is a lie.”

With a sigh, Loki shook his head. “It’s not. I’ve never been good enough. Not for Laufey. Not for Odin. Not for Thor. Not for Frigga. Always in the shadows. Always a step too short. A moment too late. I am not worthy of my _Ástvinur._ I don’t deserve her.”

“More lies. I think you’ve been the God of Lies so long, you’ve forgotten what truth really looks like.” She took his hand between her frail ones. “Loki, what is it you love most about my Lulu?”

He was about to say everything when the light in her eyes had him stopping to think a little harder. “Her soft heart,” he finally said. “She’s compassionate and caring. Her love seems… boundless, even in the face of great adversity.”

Ellie squeezed his hand. “Do you honestly think the woman you just described would have said _no_ to you if you’d told her all this in the beginnin’? If you’d explain everythin’ to her and let her make a choice?”

“I…” he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

This time Ellie reached up and tugged his ear. “Stop it! You ain’t some worthless ne’er-do-well! Stop lyin’ to yourself and man up!”

His head dropped further toward his chest until he had to hold it up with both his hands. “I am such a fool.”

“Hm. Now you’re gettin’ it.” She nodded firmly. “You done gone and shoved your foot in your mouth, actin’ like a man with only half a brain. Then you gone and run off like a scalded haint instead of sittin’ my Lulu down and talkin’ this out.”

“She asked for time to think. What was I supposed to do but leave her to it?” Loki huffed, unsure what a scalded haint was, but fairly sure he wasn’t one of those.

She rolled her eyes, fed up with his foolishness. “You _talk_ to her! How would you feel to have all this dumped on your head, then have the man who’d told it all to you run off like a spoiled brat?”

He felt no bigger than a flea. “I left her…” The reality of what he’d done in his pain hit him like a blow from Mjolnir. “I have to go.” He lurched to his feet.

“Sit!” she barked.

He sat, then blinked for he’d not been so quick to follow an order in some time.

“You can’t just go back empty-handed. You got your feathers ruffled and ran off, likely leavin’ my Lu in quite a state. You best aim to do a little grovlin’, fix what your sorry self has done. I like you, boy. My Lulu loves you an awful lot, and I like knowin’ you’re meant to be together. Feels right. Feels nice. She’s special to you when she ain’t been special to no one but me for a long time. You fix this up nice and tidy. You tell that girl you screwed up, and you make this right.”

She eyed him speculatively, and Loki cleared his throat. “And how would you suggest I go about doing that, Lady Ellie?”

“Why, I do declare, Loki. I thought you’d never ask.” She gave him a wink, patted his hand, and got to her feet. “C’mon, _Highness_. I’ve got just what you need.”

***

Lauren led Thor through the house in quiet contemplation. The puppy in her arms seemed to gage her mood and had grown still and subdued, his eyes watchful and ears pricked, but it wasn’t the forthcoming meeting between the pup and the children which held her thoughts hostage. It was Loki.

She was swinging wildly from hurt to anger to understanding to guilt, and back to hurt with almost every step she took.

When she’d asked him for time to think, she hadn’t meant _days_. She wasn’t saying _no_. But he’d loaded a whole heap of information on her head she’d had no time to process. Then, he’d looked at her like she’d taken his dagger and torn out his heart.

Pain raced through her and Lauren paused, forgetting about Thor and his ever watchful gaze until his hand landed on her shoulder.

“Everything will work out, Lauren. Trust me.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” she whispered, swiping at the tear which snuck down her cheek.

“I know you didn’t. Just like Loki didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“What a pair we make, hm?” she tried to laugh, but it came out somewhat despairing.

Thor’s big hand cupped her cheek and turned her head to see his bright blue eyes. “You are a perfect pair. Don’t forget that, dear one.”

Lauren nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. Her heart yearned for Loki. It ached and cried out, desperate for him to come back, come home, talk this out with her. She missed him. _God_ how she missed him.

And he was a big dumb… _idiot_ for not telling her the truth!

With a huff of breath, Lauren continued down the hall toward the stairs. “Will you tell me about Odin?” she asked. “Loki… he’s alluded to a few things, but he doesn’t really talk about him.”

“Odin is…” Thor hesitated, then chuckled. “Odin. There is a reason they call him the All-father. Often the lessons he chooses to impart are difficult ones that take time and usually distance to understand. My own have been harsh. Loki’s, far harsher still.”

“But what about growin’ up?” she asked with a frown. “Surely y’all didn’t just learn lessons but played and had fun, too.”

“Ah, yes. But even with the fun came things to learn. Though we were children, Lauren, we were not human children. God of Thunder and God of Mischief that we were, we had to learn discipline and self-control early, or we could have easily hurt someone.”

She fidgeted a little, rubbing the puppy’s silky soft ear. “If…” A blush came to her cheeks. “If Loki and I had a child… would they be… a god as well?”

“The likelihood is strong.” Thor nodded, a large smile on his face. “Does that please you?”

“I…” She wasn’t sure. “I think I’d feel a little outnumbered. Everyone with these fancy powers and there’s me, nothin’ special.”

“Lauren.” He took her by the elbow and drew her to a stop. “You don’t understand. _You_ are the most special of all. What are powers when it comes to being the heart of a dark god? Many on Asgard have _powers_ , but you are such a rarity, even now the court celebrates Loki’s good fortune.”

“It’s just…” she sighed and looked away. “Why me?”

“Because it had to be you. There is no other for my brother but you.” He tilted her chin back up. “The fates chose you because they saw something in you that would appease the heart and soul of a dark god.”

“Really?” she whispered.

“Let me ask this. Does Loki sleep with you, Lauren?”

“Thor!” she gasped. “I don’t know how things are on Asgard, but here you don’t go askin’ those kinds of questions of a lady!”

A tinge of red coloured his cheeks. “No! I didn’t mean… uh, _that_. I meant actually _sleep_ , like shut his eyes and rest.”

“Oh.” Her blush returned with more heat to fill her face. “Um, yes.”

“Every night?”

She frowned. “Yes. Why?”

“He can rest with you because his heart and soul are at peace. Loki’s previous routine consisted of five to ten hours of rest stretched throughout a week.”

Lauren had the insane desire to laugh until she cried. “Why couldn’t he just _tell_ me all this?”

“If I had to guess? He was afraid to lose you.”

Everything crashed down around her ears, and Lauren sighed. “I wish he’d just… told me.”

“And if he had?” Thor asked. “If he’d explained it all before beginning the binding, what would you have done?”

“I’d a taken a sec to get my head on straight, and then…” It didn’t even take a millisecond to search her soul and know what she’d have done. “I’d a said yes to the big, dumb idiot.”

“Really?” Thor gasped, his eyes alight with hope.

“Of course! I love him. I’ve had feelin’s for him for… months! Havin’ him here has been the best thing to ever happen to me besides meetin’ Tony and gettin’ in with the Avengers. Knowin’ what I know now? I’d never have said _no_.”

“And now?” he asked, hands gripping her upper arms. “Will you continue on as you have been? Knowing what will come?”

“Thor…” she sighed. “I need to talk to Loki first.”

He stiffened, then nodded deflating a little. “Of course you do.”

Lauren started off again toward the stairs and glanced over the railing where a host of strangers where bustling here and there, setting up the ballroom for later. “Do you mind if we duck in here first?” she asked, motioning toward the men doing the setup. “I should check on things, so mama doesn’t pitch a fit.”

“I am at your service, Lauren.” Thor tilted his head in agreement and followed her down the stairs.

She walked into the ballroom and almost groaned in disgust. Everything was a jumbled up mess. “Mama’s going to be madder than a wet hen if I don’t get a handle on this.”

While the _theme_ might change from year to year, the basic setup was always the same. The six rooms off the ballroom, three to either side, were opened up to allow for free flow between the dance floor and the house. The buffet was set up in two rooms, one to either side of the hall. Two more were reserved for the bar, while the final two were left open with groups of chairs arranged for ease of conversation. The exterior doors were also left open to help with airflow and give people access to the patio being strung with lights and set with tables for those who wished to eat or converse under the stars.

“How can I assist?” Thor asked.

She gave him a grateful glance and motioned toward the stacks of chairs and tables being piled in the middle of the floor. “Tell the men to take six of those tables to the front room on the left, and the others to the room at the back on the right while I’ll see if I can find the party planner.”

“Consider it done.” Thor walked away with a determined stride, causing a few of the men to back up with his approach. The man was intimidating at the best of times, but when he looked like he was on a mission, he could make anyone nervous.

She wasn’t sure what he said to the men, but when he picked up three of the tables himself, they jumped to help. Assured he would be fine for the moment, Lauren looked down at the puppy she was still packing and sighed. “Let’s see if we can find Quinn. If mama ain’t using her for this, I’ll eat my hat. Only she could make such a mess of things.”

He licked his chops, a small woof coming from him as he crossed his paws and wiggled.

“If I put you down, will you stay with me?” He gave a happy dog grin, and she wondered what she was doing talking to a puppy. “Alright, but you stick with me. I ain’t got the time to hunt you down if you run off.” When she set him down, he wagged his curly tail so hard he nearly fell over. “You’re pretty cute, you know.” He was adorable, and Lauren couldn’t help but be a little jealous Loki had thought of him for the kids and not her, but she doubted the puppy and Felix would get on well.

With a final pat to his head, she rose and looked around for the rail-thin woman who ran Elegance in Everything Party Planning - an ostentatious name if she’d ever heard one.

Quinn Liles had been one of Marabeth’s groupies when they’d grown up, doing everything and anything Marabeth had wanted to stay in her good graces.

Lauren couldn’t help but wonder if Quinn was the same stuck up bitch as four years ago. She’d always been quick with a put-down or a sharp comment to make Lauren feel like dirt. Magnolia used her because Marabeth insisted, and in this, the two of them seemed oblivious to the hell it often put Lauren through.

White blonde hair and a laugh which caused Lauren’s skin to crawl finally caught her attention, and she headed for Quinn, flirting with some burly man Lauren had no desire to make the acquaintance of. Especially when his gaze switched to her and ran the length of her body.

“Quinn, a word please?” Lauren called out as she closed in.

The woman turned and raked her gaze over Lauren. “Well, as I live and breathe. Lauren Annandale has returned to us.”

“Nice to see you as well, Quinn,” Lauren lied through her teeth and pasted on a smile. Evidently, four years hadn’t made the woman any less disagreeable. “One would think after all the parties you’ve been part of for mama, you’d be able to get the setup right without me holdin’ your hand.”

Her face hardened. “Bless your heart, Lauren. I didn’t know you were retunin’ or I’d a left it all to you to handle. Did you come crawlin’ back now that George is home?”

Lauren stiffened. It was always a battle speaking with Quinn, but she’d grown up in the last four years and had learned a few things watching Pepper stand up for herself. Lauren wasn’t so easily cowed as before. “I’m afraid you’re misinformed, Quinn. George Montgomery has nothin’ to do with why I came home.”

“Oh?” The woman in her sky blue pantsuit and three-inch stilettos stepped forward, crossing her arms over her chest defensively. “Well, do tell? Why has the prodigal princess returned?”

The words were spewing forth before Lauren could catch them. “To introduce my family to my fiancé!”

Quinn had the audacity to laugh right in Lauren’s face. “ _You_? You found a husband? Who could be so stupid as to want to marry a loser like you?”

“My brother,” Thor growled, coming to a stop at Lauren’s side and placing his hand on her shoulder.

Quinn arched a brow, her interest evident as she cast her gaze over Thor. “So you’re marryin’ some blue collar hick, Lauren? How the prissy have fallen. Though, if your _fiancé_ looks anythin’ like his brother you at least found a pretty one.”

Lauren took a step into Thor when he made to move toward Quinn. “Thor, she’s not worth it.”

But he was having none of it. “You dare insult the _Ástvinur_ of the second born prince of Asgard?” he roared, causing all within the vicinity to freeze at his words.

Mjolnir came streaking through the door, thankfully not breaking its way through any walls, to land in Thor’s outstretched hand. Lightning flashed, and the everyday clothing disappeared, replaced by his full Asgard regalia.

Lauren could have groaned but settled for pressing her hand to her eyes and looking down at the ground. The puppy sat happily at her feet, his tail tick-tocking back and forth and tongue hanging out. At least he did what he was told.

“Thor,” Lauren sighed.

“She insults the future princess of Asgard before its current King!”

“Thor,” Lauren muttered, looking up to the seething blonde.

“I could have her head for that. Imprisoned at the very least!”

“Thor!” Lauren barked.

He startled and tore his angry glare away from the gaping Quinn. “Little sister?”

“Put a cork in it!” she huffed.

“But she,” he waved the hammer at Quinn who flinched, “insulted you. You! Loki’s _Ástvinur._ ”

“And I’m perfectly capable of defendin’ myself! I’ve been doin’ so for a hell of a lot longer than you or Loki, so butt out!” She returned her attention to Quinn and fought not to smirk at the look of shock on her face. “Quinn!” she snapped, causing the woman to jolt. “For _once_ in your life shut up and do your damn job! Now, what’s mama plannin’?”

“I… uh… its.” She swallowed hard. “Red and white ball.”

“For the _Fourth_?” Lauren rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever. Y’all get that shit outta the middle of the ballroom before mama has kittens. You know where it all goes, stop actin’ like you don’t. I’ll be back to check on…” She trailed off, the hair on her arms and neck standing on end.

“Loki…” Lauren whispered and turned to face the exterior doors, his presence unmistakable.

He stood there, framed against the backdrop of the sun-drenched patio, looking far too uncertain for someone who claimed to be a god. Tears threatened almost instantly, but she bit them back and walked toward him through the throng of people.

“Hi,” she whispered when she came to a stop before him. She wanted nothing more than to reach out, pull him close, and bury herself in his warmth but found herself frozen in place.

“Hi,” he said as softly, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“Where did you go?” she asked.

“To see Ellie. Lauren… I…” His shoulders slumped, and her tears cascaded over.

“You big _idiot_!” she hissed and smacked him in the chest, shoving him back out the doors and into the sun. “What were you thinkin’? Why wouldn’t you tell me everythin’?” She slammed both hands into his chest and sent him stumbling back down the stairs. The people working on the patio scurried quickly away, leaving them alone. “Why would you tell me the first half and not the second? Why wouldn’t you tell me what would happen to you?”

“Lauren,” he finally said, his voice strained. “I didn’t want you to feel obligated… when…”

“ _When_?” she barked, fisting her hands in his shirt, “When _what_ , Loki?”

“When you realized I wasn’t good enough for you.”

She stared at him aghast. “Why would you… how could you… _don’t say somethin’ so stupid_!”

His hands came up slowly to grip her elbows. “It's how I feel, Lauren. Like I’m never good enough. Not for you. Not for anyone. When you said, you needed time to think… I… I…. It was like you were saying you didn’t want me and… it hurt so much.”

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, and Lauren cried out. “No! Oh, no! No, Loki. That wasn’t what I meant at all!”

“Then what?” he asked, his hands slipping up to her shoulders.

“I love you, Loki, but you’d just unloaded so much! You'd changed my life in minutes and I… I was confused, and hurt, and angry. Why wouldn’t you just _tell_ me all this before? Why take the choice away from me? A choice I would have made had you given it to me.”

His eyes snapped open. “Really?” he whispered, pulling her closer.

“Yes, Loki. But you took that away from me when you gave me this without talkin’ about it.”

His hand came up to touch the _brúðr steinn_ with an air of reverence. “I was… afraid. Afraid you would turn away, and I would be alone. I’ve been so alone, Lauren.”

Her heart physically ached for him. “Oh, peaches,” she sighed and reached up to cup his face. Most of her anger was gone, her resentment too. How could she hold onto either when he looked at her like that? With his soul laid bare for her to see. “No more secrets.”

“I’m sorry, darling,” he whispered, leaning down to take her mouth in a breath-stealing kiss. “I made you promises, and I broke them. I said I wouldn’t hurt you, and I have. I wouldn’t lie, but I left things out. If you walked away today and never looked back, I would understand.”

She pressed up on her toes to stop his foolish words with her lips. “Loki, stop talkin’.”

But he shook his head and delved his hands into her hair. “Forgive me, my heart. Say you forgive me. I’ll spend the next century making it up to you.”

“Loki!” she huffed, holding his face still. “You big idiot! I forgive you. I love you. But if you ever again do somethin’ so stupid as leave out the fact that what you’re doing could end up with you dead, I will use _you_ to test the sharpness of your knives, you get me?”

“Yes, my darling.” He nodded vigorously and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I… I brought you something.”

He sounded almost shy, a little uncertain, and she found it kind of adorable even as it broke her heart a little. “What?” she asked, only to gasp when the bouquet of flowers appeared in his hand.

He fidgeted with a few petals. “You’re Gran said they were your favourite and that I should be prepared to grovel, which I will happily do, darling, if you need me to. I don’t ever want to be the cause of your tears ever again-”

She pressed her fingers to his mouth and took the flowers with her other hand. “They're beautiful. You grovelled just fine, and while I will likely still have questions, I’m not goin’ anywhere, Loki.”

“That’s good,” he sighed, leaning in to nuzzle her throat. “I would have been hard-pressed to let you go.”

Tilting her head, Lauren sighed when his lips settled over her pulse point. “I don’t want you to.”

“Ask whatever questions you have, my love. I will answer as best I can.”

“I... I can’t think of any at the moment.” Lauren whimpered when his teeth scraped lightly down her skin. An answering whimper had her startling for it came not from Loki but from her feet. “Oh!” she gasped. “The puppy!”

Loki lifted his head to look down and smiled. “Well, you will do nicely. Have the children seen him?”

“Not yet. I…” Lauren bit her lip. “I wasn’t fit company for a while, and then there was _Thor_ and Quinn to deal with.”

“Mmh, I was going to ask why Thor looked about to do battle, but then there was you and I no longer cared.” He cupped the back of her skull and drew her close against his chest.

The contact of her breasts against him had the shields and her overly sensitive nipples rubbing the fabric of her dress. “Oh, my…” she moaned quietly.

Excitement lit up Loki’s eyes. “How often have you felt them, pet?” he asked quietly.

“Just… just twice, but Loki…”

“Yes, pet?” he whispered kissing her softly and discreetly stroking his finger over the firm pebble.

“They feel… really good…” she sighed into his mouth.

“Minx… I want to see them again,” he fairly growled.

“Later,” she murmured unhappily, stepping back to lead him toward the house. “I’m needed here.”

He sighed but nodded. “Has Thor met the family yet?”

She shook her head. “No. After his reaction to Quinn, I’m a little scared to introduce them.”

“What happened with Quinn? Who's Quinn?” Loki asked.

Lauren glanced toward the puppy, still strutting along at her heels. “She’s a friend of Marabeth’s and mama’s party planner.”

“Is she now?” He turned hard eyes to the room. “And which one is she?” he asked as they stepped inside.

“Loki, not you too.”

“Brother!” Thor bellowed, striding toward them. He gripped Loki by the shoulders and gave him a small shake. “Don’t ever do that again or I will leave you beneath Mjolnir for three days.” Though his grin stayed big, Thor’s threat rang true.

“I have apologized for my foolishness, brother.” Loki eyed Thor critically. “But must you be so dramatic?” He flicked his fingers and changed Thor’s attire to something closer to his own.

Lauren breathed a small sigh of relief and hoped neither noticed. While there was nothing wrong with how Thor had been dressed, the slacks and button down shirt in a blue which matched his eyes was more in keeping with what would be expected by her family. One less thing to worry about in her already trying day.

Thor glanced at himself and rolled his eyes, but didn’t change anything. “It was necessary at the moment. I was defending your _Ástvinur_ from the shrew with the white hair.”

“Really? Point her out to me, brother.”

“You two are impossible,” Lauren grumbled, walking away from the overabundance of testosterone with her flowers in her arm and the puppy at her heels.

“Thank you, Thor,” Loki said softly once she was out of earshot.

“You are a stupid fool, but I love you. Do not screw this up again,” Thor grumbled.

“Hn, indeed,” Loki chuckled. “I dislike tasting my own ass.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: None

 

* * *

“So, she just… took him in?” Lauren blinked at Loki in shock. “Without so much as a peep of protest?”

Loki tilted his head, smiling wide at her surprise. “Svengil was quite taken with her, and she with him. They will do well with each other.” He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair back behind Lauren’s ear as Thor looked on with a goofy grin Loki was incredibly familiar with.

“Well, shut my mouth. I never thought I’d see the day.” She shook her head and lifted up on her tiptoes to peck a kiss to Loki’s cheek. “Thank you, peaches. I’ve been tryin’ to get her to see reason and bring someone in to help her out, but she’s a stubborn old woman. Always says she doesn’t need anyone makin’ a fuss over her.”

“She needs the care, darling, and while Svengil may look like a boy of no more than sixteen, his is of Asgard and far more capable of caring for and protecting your Gran than someone of Midgard.” He caught her by the waist and kept her pressed against him. “One would think I deserved more than a simple peck to the cheek for my thoughtfulness.”

“Humph,” Thor huffed. “As I am the one who found him to begin with, one would think I would get _at least_ a peck to the cheek.”

Lauren’s smile turned shy when she looked up at Loki through her lashes. She stroked her palms down his chest in a tender, sensual caress which set Loki’s senses ablaze, and informed him without her needing to speak that she would thank him properly later.

Her flowers had been placed in a vase and sent to her room via one of the bustling maids, of which Loki could not recall her name though Lauren had asked about both her mother and her sister, causing the young woman to blush and chatter like a raven.

Or perhaps the blush had been Thor’s doing. His _charming_ brother had only to smile at a woman to have them swoon at his feet.

It usually made Loki roll his eyes, but this time, when the women were not looking, he’d punched Thor in the ribs and told him to cut it out. He’d slipped easily into the old tongue to quietly scold his brother. This was not Asgard or even New York where he could dally with a willing wench to his heart’s content. This was Lauren’s home, and these were her people. Thor was to keep it in his pants.

While Thor had pouted, it was only for a moment before they’d moved on, heading now for the kitchen as Lauren had still not eaten, and Loki had heard her stomach rumble from across the room.

She escaped his hands to step closer to Thor, lay her hand on his arm and place the same quick peck to his brother’s cheek when Thor was gracious enough to bend down for her. “Thank you for your help, Thor. Y’all have really made today better, knowin’ Gran’s gonna be looked after. I worry about her.”

“Of course you do, darling,” Loki said, taking her hand and leading her onward. “Your soft heart could do no less.”

“Says the man who gave her fairies,” Lauren quipped, her eyes full of wicked amusement.

“Heimdall said you were being especially tricky, brother,” Thor smirked at him over Lauren’s head.

Loki shrugged it off as nothing. “I am always tricky.”

“I don’t ever recall you creating fairies for me,” Thor teased.

“But I did turn into a snake once.” Loki snickered when Thor scowled.

“And then you stabbed me, brother!” he huffed, taking Lauren’s other hand and linking it through his elbow, so she walked arm and arm with them both.

“You stabbed him?” Lauren gasped, looking to Loki.

“He had it coming!” Loki defended himself. “It was shortly after he’d invented that _stupid_ game.”

Thor gasped. “Get help is not stupid! It has worked numerous times when we were in need of a diversion.”

“Well, next time we’ll just use you as the brother needing to be tossed and see how you like it.” Loki shot him a glare.

“You squabble like children,” Lauren muttered, but a smile twitched her lip.

“We bicker like brothers,” Thor corrected her. “Is it not so with your own siblings?”

She looked down and away. “No.”

The glare Loki sent Thor darkened considerably. Had he not told his brother they were atrocious women who were as poisonous as a viper? But, then, had he not also misunderstood the ferocity of their venom until he’d seen it first hand?

Remorse coated Thor’s features. “Forgive me, little sister. I have overstepped.”

“Oh!” she looked up at him, and a soft smile appeared. “No, you haven’t. It’s just, what you and Loki have… it’s nice. I’m… a little jealous.”

“Should I tease you as well?” Thor asked.

She flushed instantly red. “I don’t think I’d handle too much of your teasin’ ways.”

The big, booming laugh Thor was known for echoed down the hall ahead of them. “I think you would handle a little teasing just fine, Lauren!”

Loki chuckled softly, appeased in the fact Thor had put a smile back on her face after having wiped it off. They were near to the kitchen when two small sprouts bounced down the hallway toward them.

“Aunt Lu! Aunt Lu! You took _forever_!” Sara groaned, only to come to a dead stop when Benny jerked her back by the arm.

“Holy… holy geez! Wow!” Benny’s eyes filled his face as he stared up at Thor. “You’re Thor!”

“Indeed I am!” Thor chuckled, immediately dropping to a knee. “And who would you be, my young warrior?”

“I’m Benny. That’s my Aunt Lu!” He darted forward to shuffle from foot to foot in front of Thor. “You have the big hammer!”

“This hammer?” Thor asked, producing Mjolnir with a flourish.

While Benny was focused on Thor, Sara only had eyes for the fuzzy ball sitting at Lauren’s heel. “Is that… a puppy?” she asked, hope filling her face when she looked up at Loki.

Loki crouched as she drew closer and held out his hand. “It is. It’s your puppy, courtesy of myself and Thor.”

“Oh…” Her ocean blue eyes watered and her lip quivered. “Thank y'all so much, but… I have allergies. Mama says I can’t have a dog.”

“It’s alright, little dove. He is not a Midgardian dog but a _dyrehund._ A hound of Asgard. He will not cause your eyes to redden nor your nose to run.” Loki gave her a wink and scooped the pup up. “His name is Usun.”

“He’s so fluffy,” she said, reaching out tentatively to touch one silky ear. “Hello, Usun.” He licked excitedly at her hand and made Sara giggle. “Is he really mine?”

Her eyes were so full of wonder and hope, Loki was helpless but to reach out and tap her on the end of the nose. “Yes, precious. You and your brother.” With a gentle squeeze to the pup’s belly, he caught Usun’s attention. “This is Sara and Benny. They are yours to protect from _anyone_ who would do them harm. Do you understand?”

The pup gave a high pitched _ruff_ and wiggled from his arm to trot over and snuffle Sara’s leg, thoroughly catching her scent, before bouncing over to do the same with Benny, who giggled wildly and dropped to the floor to wrestle with the puppy.

“What did you do?” Lauren asked, her gaze on him and eyes narrowed.

“Nothing much.” Loki shrugged, trying hard not to smirk at the _dyrehund_ , now wholly enamoured of the children.

“He gave them a furry bodyguard,” Thor chuckled.

Lauren frowned. “What? But he’s only a puppy.”

“Even puppies grow up, my heart, and _dyrehunds_ do so at will. He will stay a pup, growing at the normal rate, unless the children are in distress. Then, Usun will simply _grow up_ and become the guardian they need. He could stay a puppy for another year, or grow up next week. It really depends on the children’s… _environment_.” Loki took and squeezed her fingers.

She looked at him for a long moment, her mind clearly turning over what he was telling her. When it registered, her eyes filled but she sniffed the tears back as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest.

“Thank you,” Lauren whispered. “Twice over today you’ve solved problems that have been weighin’ on me.”

He held her close and played a little with her hair. “I know, _elskan min_. I know.” Loki relaxed against her, happy and content and at peace.

“Excuse me?” Sara’s sweet voice knocked them out of their trance.

She was standing a few feet away from Thor, the toe of her white shoe twisting against the hardwood floor. Her hands were clasped before her, and she looked angelic in her lacy pink dress.

Loki watched his brother all but melt.

“And who might you be, little darling?” Thor asked, holding out his hand for hers.

She placed her hand on his big one and giggled high and nervous when Thor bent to her knuckles. “I’m Sara Marie Avirett. Are you Mr. Loki’s brother? The King?”

“I am.” Thor smiled down at her.

Glee filled Loki as he watched Sara lift her chin proudly.

“I wish to make a pet… pet…” She frowned.

“Petition,” Loki supplied for her.

“A petition, to the King.” Her lashes fluttered, and Thor nearly sighed, the big softy.

Blue eyes gleamed with adoration, Thor already well and truly captured by Sara’s sweetness. “Speak, petitioner, and if moved, I will grant your request.”

Sara glanced at Loki and whispered, “What’s that mean?”

“He means, make it good, precious, and maybe he will say yes.” Loki’s grin widened when Thor arched a speculative brow his direction.

Lauren snickered but must have bit her tongue to retain the rest of her laughter as she, too, watched the happenings with delight.

“When Aunt Lu marries Mr. Loki she gets to be a princess.”

“That she will.” Thor nodded.

Loki only pulled Lauren closer when she whimpered.

Sara stood tall and proud before Thor. “I think it’s very unfair that Aunt Lu gets to be a princess, but not me. Mr. Loki said some stuffy old king made the rule. Will you change it? I would be ever so pleased if I could be one too.”

Loki watched his brother waffle before sighing. “I’m sorry, little darling. That is not how it works.”

“But…” Sara’s eyes watered a second time. “I would make a very good princess. I can curtsey." She held out the edges of her dress and did just that. “Everyone says I look like Aunt Lu, so I must be pretty enough to be a princess. And… and… I just really want to,” she finished, gazing up at Thor. “Oh, please, your majesty, sir? Please change the rule? I’d be ever so happy.”

Thor swallowed rather thickly, his eyes wide and a little panicked as she stared up at him. “While I cannot change the law, sweet, I can make you an honorary princess of Asgard. Would that suffice?”

“Would I get to wear a tiara and pretty dresses, and go to the ball?” She clasped her hands together and almost vibrated with excitement.

When Thor cast him a pleading glance, Loki took pity. Here, too, he could still come out on top. “Come here, Sara, love.”

She cast a longing glance Thor’s way before skipping over to him. “I’m almost a princess, Loki!” she whispered loudly.

“I know, darling. But while Thor can grant you the title, I can grant you the rest.” If his smile was a touch devious, no one said anything, and he placed his hand on Sara’s head.

His magic washed down and around her, turning her pink dress into one of shimmering tulle and glittering beads. The skirt belled out and fell to her ankles. He gave her shoes small heels. Her hair was twisted up into braids and curls, and he dusted her cheeks with sparkles. Lastly, he created a small, tasteful, sparkling diadem of gold and precious stones to place upon her brow. “There, precious. A perfect princess.” A mirror appeared before her, and he watched as her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

“Oh, my stars!” she gasped. “I’m a princess! Aunt Lu, look!”

Lauren had to clear her throat twice, her cheeks flushed and eyes damp. “I see that, sugar cube. Aren’t you just the belle of the ball?”

“Thank you! Thank y'all so much! I ain’t never been so happy!” Sara squealed and spun in a circle. “Look, Benny! I’m a princess!”

“It’s just a…” Benny trailed off when Lauren sent him a hard look. “You look real nice, Sara.”

“Better,” Lauren murmured and smiled for the boy.

“And what a magnificent princess you make,” Loki said, holding out his hand for hers and bowing over her knuckles when she took it. “You must save me a dance, Lady Sara.”

“Of course, kind sir,” she giggled, repeating her curtsy from before.

“C’mon, Sara!” Benny tugged at her hand. “We should show mama!”

“Oh! I…” Lauren started but it was too late, the children already rushing down the hall to disappear through an open doorway. “Oh dear,” she muttered. “Loki, tell me that tiara wasn’t real.”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Oh crap,” she whispered, dashing after the children.

“Loki?” Thor asked, frowning after her.

“Wait for it,” Loki said, holding up his hand. It was time to show Thor just how heinous Lauren’s elder sister was.

“Sara! Get away from that mongrel. Benjamin William, y’all know your sister can’t be around dogs, and where did you find that atrocious get up, Sara Marie?” Marabeth snapped.

“Marabeth!” Lauren gasped. “Why would you say that? She looks like a little darlin’!”

“But… but _mama_.”

Loki could hear the quiver in Sara’s voice and headed for the door.

“Don’t you _but mama_ me, Sara Marie! You look ridiculous! Like somethin’ out of a foolish Disney film.”

“But… but…”

Loki rounded the corner in time to witness the first tear roll down Sara’s cheek. “Come now, little dove,” he crooned, picking her up and cuddling her close, “no tears. You are an honorary princess of Asgard after all.” He sent Marabeth a hard glare.

“I suppose I have you to thank for this?” The wretched woman waved her hand at the child clinging to him, and the one hovering behind Lauren’s leg. “Fillin’ their heads with nonsense. Givin’ them things without askin'.”

“Marabeth! Even if Loki had, what’s so wrong with the kid's gettin’ presents?” Lauren snapped, her hand going comfortingly to both Benny’s head and Sara’s back.

She moved to place herself between Marabeth and the children, and while Loki wasn’t happy with her putting herself in a position of danger, he found her defence of the children merely another part of her he admired. What a fierce mother she would be one day.

Back in the blue room from the night of Lauren’s confrontation with her family, Loki slowly shook his head. “I’m afraid you are mistaken. Thor is the one who claimed her as a princess. I simply bestowed up her the gown.” His brother rounded the door at that moment, almost as if they’d rehearsed it beforehand. They had not, but, it was not the first time they had worked together in such a way as to throw off a room. “Isn’t that right, my King?”

Thor quirked a brow his way, a smirk tugging at his lips before his features fell into lines of displeasure when they settled on the woman in the center of the room.

For once, Marabeth was not garbed in a suit, but in red pants and a fluttery white top which, had she not been wearing a scowl, would have looked quite nice upon her. Evidently, not all her clothes fit her poorly.

Shock rippled across her features when Thor posed in the doorway, arms crossed and hammer resting upon his bicep. “I-I… why I…”

“Something displeases you about the King of Asgard bestowing gifts and titles upon the children close to his brother’s _Ástvinur_?”

Loki glanced at Lauren who appeared to be waffling between enjoying the discomfort of her eldest sister and stepping in. When the wicked light, the glorious light of mischief danced in her eyes and a smile graced her lips, he knew she would not interfere.

A shiver of delight worked its way up his spine. He loved it when she let the naughty side of her free.

Marabeth gaped a moment longer before she drew herself up and patted self-consciously at her hair. Her shock smoothed into a welcoming smile as she walked toward Thor with a decidedly sensual swing to her hips.

Thor shot him a look, one Loki answered with a minute tilt of his head and brow raise. Loki had warned him after all.

“Why, no of course not.” Marabeth smiled graciously and held out her hand. “I’m was simply shocked at the extravagance, but knowin’ the gifts came from you, your majesty, I am ever so grateful. But I’m afraid my daughter is allergic to dogs.”

He ignored her hand, and Loki had to fight not to laugh, finding the repeat of his own meeting with Marabeth amusing.

“Charmed, I’m sure,” Thor muttered, eyeing Marabeth warily.

Lauren’s snort of laughter was soft and quickly muffled as a cough, but Loki still sent her a wide grin.

Thor glanced at her but continued to speak with Marabeth. “The puppy is a _dyrehund._ Your son and daughter’s new companion will not give her the allergies.”

A sharpness hardened Marabeth’s features. “Well, ain’t that just the berries? Still, they do not want a dog.”

“Yes, we do!” Sara piped up. When Marabeth turned those hard eyes on her though, she clung to Loki’s neck all the tighter.

“Your father said no pets, Sara Marie. The answer is no!”

“I’m afraid it is far too late to take Usun back,” Thor said, drawing Marabeth’s attention.

Loki watched with hardly contained glee as Thor reached for Marabeth’s hand, and lifted it to his lips. Heat seemed to lick at the walls when the God of Thunder turned on his charm. The children were far too young to be affected by the sensual heat Thor exuded, and Lauren was protected from it by the _brúðr steinn_ , but Loki had born witness to Thor’s secondary nature on more than one occasion and knew very well Marabeth was no match for him.

“Once a _dyrehund_ is gifted, it cannot be taken back. He shall be an exceptional watchdog for your children. A protector in times of trouble. Would that not please you? To know they will always be safe?” he asked, voice dropping lower until it seemed to rumble on the air.

“Oh… my,” Marabeth whispered, melting toward Thor. “Yes… I guess that… that would be nice.”

“Excellent! Then it’s settled!” Thor lifted his head and smirked Loki’s direction as he walked away, leaving the woman standing there agape and shaking, to crouch down beside Lauren with Benny who had dropped to his knees to cling to Usun’s neck.

The pup’s eyes were hard when he looked up, and Loki gave a small nod. The _dyrehund_ knew in that instant why he’d been summoned and just whom he was to see as enemy number one.

Marabeth blinked a few times, trying to figure out what had just happened. Cold calculation cleared the confusion, and she turned a harsh glare on Lauren. “A _word_ if you would, Lauren Guillemin?”

Before Lauren could agree or decline, heels on hardwood could be heard coming rapidly toward them. When Magnolia cleared the doorway, Loki had to bite hard the inside of his cheek to keep from howling with laughter.

Magnolia was decked out in a dress of deep blue, a thick belt of white around her waist, matching the thin gloves she wore upon her hands. A small, square hat complete with mesh veil draped over her forehead sat jauntily upon her heavily sprayed hair. Ropes of pearls hung around her neck, while a clutch was tucked beneath her arm.

“Mama?” Lauren said, her voice full of surprise. "You're lookin'... um, fancy."

“Oh, Lauren! There you are!” Magnolia said, only to stumble to a stop when she caught sight of Thor. “Your majesty!” she fairly yelped and dropped into a curtsey, a wobbly one.

“No formality needed. Thor is perfectly acceptable,” Thor said, rising to his full height from the floor, and stepping forward to take Magnolia’s hand. “I can see where my lovely sister-to-be gets her looks, fair lady.”

A twitter of a giggle burst from Magnolia as she blushed and fluttered her other hand against her heart. “You flatter me, sir.” She sent a pointed look toward Lauren.

Lauren smiled tightly. “Thor, my mother Magnolia, and you’ve already met Marabeth, my sister.”

“Thank you for having me, Lady Magnolia,” Thor said, bowing over her hand. “Though it seems I have overstepped myself, bringing gifts for your grandchildren.”

“What?” Magnolia shot a second look at Lauren. “How ungracious of you, Lauren!”

Thor stiffened and released her fingers. “Forgive me, but it wasn’t Lauren to whom I was referring.”

Magnolia turned on Marabeth. “You insulted the King of Asgard in my home!?”

“It was a misunderstandin’, mama,” Marabeth said through gritted teeth.

“He brought us a puppy!” Benny giggled, his arms still wrapped around Usun while the pup licked at his face.

“Before you protest,” Loki was quick to cut her off when Magnolia looked to speak out, “Usun is a hound from Asgard. Sara will take no issue with him. Isn’t that right, little dove?” he said to the girl in his arms.

She lifted her head from where it had been tucked in against his throat and nodded. “I like him. Please can we keep him?” she turned pleading eyes on Magnolia.

Lauren’s mother took one look at Sara and had her mouth drop open. “My goodness, child. What are you wearin’?”

“An outfit befitting an honorary Asgardian princess,” Thor stated, reaching out to take the girl from Loki.

“Prin… princess?” Magnolia squeaked.

Thor tilted his head and frowned at her. “An honorary one, yes. She made a most fitting argument for it. After all, Lauren will carry the title in the future. Why not this sweet child as well?”

She stared at Thor and Sara for a moment before her eyes turned to them, Loki and Lauren standing together but a few feet from her. “Lauren… a _princess_?”

Loki huffed out a sigh. “How is it none of you made that connection when a seven-year-old had thought of it within hours of meeting me? Am I not a _prince_ of Asgard? Did you revoke my title at some point, brother and not tell me?”

“No one would dare,” Thor said, soft and deadly.

“See, my heart?” he winked at Lauren. “A prince I remain. You are a princess in the making.”

“Haha…” Lauren gave a soft whimper a second time and swayed slightly, her face pale.

“Darling, you have still not eaten. How weak you must be feeling,” Loki fussed, drawing her closer. Against her ear, he whispered, “Breathe. It is not that big a deal.” It kind of was, but he would not stress her out more.

She took a shaky one while clutching at his arm.

“Here y’all are! Why whatever’s goin’ on in here?”

Lauren’s grip on Loki's arm tightened. She hissed a nearly silent swear and looked up to the door through which Cissy had just entered. Her face paled so swiftly, then flushed such a vivid red, Loki was worried she’d faint and drew her in tighter to his body.

“Priscilla Elizabeth!” Magnolia gasped, causing Loki to look toward the door.

If he’d thought the outfit she’d had on during their initial meeting was short, this one was scandalously so. It seemed to be painted on, a dress of deep green which barely covered her assets. _Trashy_ took on a whole new meaning in his mind.

Thor blinked a few times, staring open-mouthed at the preening Cissy.

Loki palmed a short dagger. If his idiot brother so much as made a move toward the spoiled little bitch, he was going to stab him, _repeatedly_ , until Thor wised up.

It took another two breaths before Thor seemed to find his voice. “Loki… you did not tell me they had bedding wenches. I wouldn’t have bothered to flirt with the maid if you had.” Thor turned toward Loki with such a malicious glint in his eye, Loki was hard pressed not to roar with laughter.

Three shocked gasps rippled through the room. Lauren made a choked sound and turned away, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. From the quick look he’d gotten, Loki was reasonably sure she was in the same boat as he, trying desperately not to laugh.

Clearing his throat, Loki managed to get out a sentence relatively free of amusement, “They do not, brother.”

“Really?” Thor gasped, looking shocked. “Forgive me, Lady Magnolia for my incorrect assumption. I’m afraid I am still… _unused_ to the way women of Midgard flaunt themselves.”

“That’s… that’s quite alright,” Magnolia said, recovering quickly to glare at the red-faced Cissy. “I have been tellin’ my daughter for some time she dresses inappropriately.”

“Still, my words were harsh. I shouldn’t have assumed you’d have ladies of ill repute running the halls of your home when there are young children present.” He bent slightly in apology.

“What’s _ill repute_?” Sara asked, looking confused.

“Well, you see, precious-”

“Thor!” Lauren barked, reaching out for Sara and taking her back with a glare. “I think that’s quite enough excitement for the mornin’. C’mon Sara, Benny. I need to eat, and y’all can take Usun outside for a bit.” She herded the children and the puppy from the room.

“In trouble with Lauren again, brother?” Loki tsked and shook his head at Thor.

“Least this time didn’t involve broken toes,” Thor sighed, frowning at Mjolnir. Lightning flashed, causing the women to jump in surprise when Mjolnir disappeared to be replaced by a pair of sunglasses Thor tucked on the top of his head.

“No umbrella?” Loki teased.

“Hands-free is the way to be.” Thor chuckled. “Ladies,” he said with a slight bow. “It seems I must make amends to my little sister. If you will excuse me.”

They made it out the door past the ruby faced Cissy, and down the hall a few yards before all hell broke loose behind them. The yelling was intense, doing an excellent job of muffling the two Asgardians laughter.

“Thor, Mother would be appalled!” Loki chuckled. “I, however, have never been more impressed.”

Thor snickered softly, clapping his hand down on Loki’s shoulder. “Think you I can’t read your body language well enough to know which ones are the most disagreeable to you? I had no desire to be knifed, brother. Do you think your _Ástvinur_ will forgive me for calling her sister, in essence, a whore?”

“As she had to fight not to snort with laughter? I think you are safe, brother. You’re more likely to need to grovel for trying to explain it to a seven-year-old. What the hell were you thinking?”

“That it was the most expedient way of getting out of that room.” Thor grinned deviously.

“How devilishly wicked of you, brother!” Loki laughed.

“What do you expect? I learned from the best, after all.”

Loki continued to chuckle as they walked into the kitchen, only to find his _Ástvinur_ in the arms of Lafayette. “Take your hands from her at once!”

Ice coated walls, windows, and doors as everyone within the room froze in fear.

“Loki,” Lauren said, righting herself and pulling away from Lafayette. “I slipped, peaches. He caught me from takin’ a nasty spill.”

The ice melted as swiftly as it formed. “I beg your pardon. My thanks, Lafayette.” His strides across the room were long, seeing him to her side with little effort, where he guided her away from the other male and into his chest. “Are you alright, darling?” Loki asked, his hands stroking her arms as he looked her over.

“Fine, Loki. Just fine,” she soothed instinctively, her fingers straightening the collar on his shirt.

“Y’all need to get on outta my kitchen,” Sue Ann huffed, her cheeks red with exertion. “Spills are what happens when there are too many bodies in my space. Go on outside, Lauren. I’ll send someone out with a tray- oh, my! Ain’t you a big fella?” She cut herself off to stare up at Thor.

Thor chuckled and gave her a wink. “So I have been told, gracious lady.”

“Do go on!” she giggled, blush darkening before fluttering her hands at the group of them. “Get on with you!”

Lauren gave Loki’s arm a tug, encouraging him toward the door out to where the children were already laughing and racing over the lawn. Loki sent a last look toward Lafayette, well aware the _feelings_ he was harbouring for Lauren went far beyond the _sibling_ ones Lauren held for him.

There was a distinct look of longing which appeared whenever Lafayette looked at his Lauren.

Loki didn’t appreciate it one bit, but he wouldn’t begrudge the man saving his _Ástvinur_ from taking a tumble. “Coming, my love,” he said instead to Lauren, walking out into the sun and high joyous laughter of the children.

Thor waited a moment longer, pausing by the man who’d put hands on Loki’s woman, to put his big palm down on the man’s shoulder. His voice was low, for the man’s ears only, not easily heard above the renewed chaos of the busy kitchen behind him. “I do not know you, my friend, but I will offer you a word of advice. As Loki’s brother, I caution you to keep your hands to yourself when it comes to the lovely, Lady Lauren. Yes,” Thor cut the man off when he tried to speak, motioning towards the wet spot being cleaned up on the floor, “both he and I are well aware your actions saved her from a fall, and he is grateful. But with how you look at her, though she remains oblivious, Loki _will_ take offence. She is his as he is hers. He will not let her go. Do not make the mistake of trying to step between them.”

The man’s face ran a gamut of emotions from annoyed to angry to offended, and finally into acceptance. “I can see what they have with my own two eyes. I ain’t so stupid as to think I could compete with him for her heart.”

“Good. It has been quite some years since I have had to assist Loki in disposing of a body. It would be a pity to have to take it up again.” Thor grinned when the man’s eyes widened and wandered outside.

Loki glanced up at Thor when he settled down at the small patio table beside himself and Lauren and shook his head. “ _Dispose of a body? Brother, please. Like I need anyone’s assistance in that area._ ” He rolled his eyes, reverting again to the old tongue.

“Loki, you are being rude to your lady,” Thor chided with a chuckle, refusing to change languages.

“Oh, no,” Lauren blushed, her gaze locked on Loki’s mouth when he looked her way. “That was… rather, um…”

“Did you find it sexy, my heart?” Loki asked, leaning toward her to cup her chin and rub his thumb across her lower lip.

The flush darkened, and she grew slightly flustered. “Maybe.”

“And that is my cue to go entertain the little ones,” Thor snickered, rising from his seat and wandering off after the laughing children.

“You chased him away,” Lauren scolded, but her tongue was nowhere near sharp nor were her words harsh.

“Mmm, my brother knows what is good for him.” Loki snaked his arm around Lauren’s back and jerked her from her seat to his lap. When she settled there without a single sound of protest, he smiled a sensual grin. “So, pet,” he murmured, skimming his hand up her waist, his fingers coming to rest on the outer edge of her breast while his thumb caressed the unseen but easily felt bud of her nipple and the ridge of the shield which surrounded it. “You like it when I speak the language of the _Æsir_ , the old tongue of our people?”

She relaxed further into his chest, wrapped one arm over his shoulders, and let the other rest on his bicep, leaving his sweeping thumb and gently squeezing fingers unrestricted while protecting her modesty. “Yeah, peaches. Your fancy tongue turns all guttural and wild. You’re always so refined, Loki. Like this, you play the prince, the dignified lord of Asgard, but that…” she sighed, and he watched her eyes darken to deep emerald green, “you sounded like a warrior god. Like the leader of a conquerin’ army, come to steal me away.”

“I would not have to steal you though, would I, my sweet? In days of old, I would have walked into your village, and you would have come away with me willingly,” he said slyly.

She smirked and shook her head. “I would have, would I?”

The fire in her eyes stirred his loins to life. “Oh yes, pet. You would have been quite helpless against my charms. They would have hosted me, your village. The feasting would have been intense, for a visit from Loki would have been momentous. But, then, across the great hall, I would have caught sight of you. You with your hair like gold and skin of cream and eyes of such vivid green. I would have beckoned you over to sit with me, and once you had I would have turned to your ear… and whispered…” Loki cupped her cheek and drew her close, turning her head so he could do as he said and breath against her ear as he reverted to the old tongue. “ _You, my darling, are the most exquisite creature I have ever laid eyes upon. Are you a star? Did you fall from the heavens? For surely only a star could shine as beautifully as you. Tonight, when I take you to my bed, I shall have you amongst the furs, and you will be blessed by a God. Taken by the Trickster himself. Made to scream out in pleasure, and you will know no mere mortal will ever please you as I have_.”

Her mouth was on his once the last syllable dropped from his lips. It was frantic, wild and desperate. A kiss which shot fire through his veins to grow into a flaming ball in his abdomen. Her fingers delved into his hair, closed into a tight fist, and Loki moaned into her mouth.

“I ain’t got a clue what you just said,” Lauren panted when she lifted her head, “but it sounded wicked and sexy and… Loki…” she sighed, diving back in.

A quiet growl rumbled in Loki’s chest when she tugged his hair a second time. “My darling,” he managed to get out when she had to breathe a second time, “I will be forced to find us a secluded room if you continue your course of action.”

“Maybe I want you to. Maybe I’m tired of waitin’, Loki.” There was a wealth of desire in her eyes when she opened them.

He nearly gave in, wanting nothing more than to take her upstairs and shut out the world, but that was not part of his plan. “I want you, my love, my sweet Lauren, but I will not be rushed. I want the night with you in a room free of interruptions where I can take you to Valhalla over and over and over again until you beg me for a reprieve.”

She shivered, and her hands flexed. “I still think you’re tryin’ to kill us, peaches,” Lauren sighed, pouting when she slouched down.

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder, is that not the saying?” he teased softly and traced his fingers up and down her spine. “Besides, you have not eaten, and I will see you fed.”

“Fine,” she huffed, resting her head on his shoulder.

The quiet stretched on as each took comfort in the other. The trauma and heartache from earlier well on its way to being mended as they watched together the man who was the King of Asgard listen intently to the child in her fluffy pink dress and sparkly tiara, explain the basics of croquet.

It was highly amusing, as Sara, resembling a tiny, glittering fairy without wings, demonstrated the proper technique for putting a ball through a wicket, only to have Usun chase said ball and return it to her each time. While she was scolding the puppy gently, trying to explain to him _no you don’t chase these balls_ , Benny was rolling in the grass, belting out peals of laughter.

“Will you tell me what you said?” Lauren asked, breaking the silence.

“One day,” Loki chuckled.

“Why not now?” Her pout was present in her voice.

“Because, my Valkyrie, I have only just calmed from the flames of your kisses. If I were to tell you what I said, you would surely scorch me in the heat of your desire a second time.”

“That good, huh?” A smile had replaced the pout.

“ _Darling_ ,” he drawled, placing a kiss to the crown of her head. “If you only knew.” She shivered, her renewed desire evident, but Loki closed his arms around her and kept her right where she was.

“Spoilsport,” she muttered, falling back into silence for a few moments before a giggle spilled from her lips.

“What is it?”

“Cissy’s face…” she giggled more. “Where in the world did Thor come up with _beddin’ wenches_?”

“It was a popular practice, millennia ago. Women of… that nature were provided for visitors of note.”

“And did you use women of ill repute?” she asked.

He was not so foolish to answer when he was not sure where this conversation was going. “That is another trick question, woman. If I say no, you will assume I am lying, and if I say yes, you will think less of me.”

She tilted her head back on his shoulder. “I already told you, _elskan min_. There ain’t nothin’ you could tell me that would make me think less of you. I know you’ve been ‘round a long time, hun. But… how’s about I withdraw the question.”

“Hm, an excellent idea.”

“But if Thor tries to _explain_ things like that to Sara or Benny in the near future, I will find a way to bean him with his own hammer!”

Loki burst out laughing. “I have no doubt you would, darling. No doubt at all!”


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: None

 

* * *

Lauren dragged her hands down her face for what felt like the hundredth time in less than an hour, moments away from screaming and committing an act of justifiable homicide.

“Quinn, I’m not going to tell you again. Get those monstrosities _out_ of this room!” The twelve foot tall red and white pillars looked like barber poles and were so incredibly ugly, Lauren had honestly thought the woman was joking when she’d had the men pack them inside. Then, Quinn had started barking orders to have them place along the walls, highlighting the opening to each of the adjoining rooms, reaching just to the bottom of the floor of the second story balcony.

“Oh, poo, Lauren. You’ve always had questionable taste. I ran them past Magnolia and Marabeth, and they approved.”

Lauren clenched her fists tightly at her sides, it was that, or she was going to strangle the woman. “Yes, well, I highly doubt mama knew you meant _this_.” She was moments away from throwing the biggest hissy fit, telling Quinn she was fired, and ripping it all down.

After breakfast - which ended up more like brunch thanks to the lateness of her star to the day - she’d left Loki and Thor with the children, the kids excited and chattering, wanting to hear story after story of Asgard and all they had seen and done together. Loki hadn’t wanted to stay, having stated he was to be assisting her today, but Lauren had encouraged him to remain with his brother. With the way things had been going in the house, they likely wouldn’t handle the battle she was about to wage with Quinn very well.

Threats would fly, death would be threatened, stuff would likely get broken, and she wouldn’t be any better off than before. Add in her mother and sisters… all hell could break loose around her.

Now, hours later, after a never-ending battle of ‘would she, won’t she’ with Quinn, Lauren was about ready to tear out her own hair. They’d gone head to head over just about every aspect of the party. Though Quinn had been sufficiently cowed by Thor’s rage at first, her snarky attitude had returned quickly, and the same old snotty remarks had started to fly.

“Well, if _you_ want them gone, you remove them,” Quinn sniffed, turning up her nose.

The arrival of cold air on the back of Lauren’s neck had some of her anger dissipating.

“Darling,” Loki crooned, wrapping his arms around her waist. A gentle kiss was placed to the back of her neck. “You seem a trifle upset. Something I can assist you with?”

Typically, she would have brushed it away, not wanting to trouble him with such trivial things, but she was too pissed off to care anymore. “You see those?” she said, pointing at the hideous eyesores.

“The red and white atrocities? Yes.”

“Would you be a darlin’ and get rid of them for me?” she asked, continuing to stare down Quinn who’s face had become a mask of rage.

“Of course, my sweet,” he chuckled and snapped his fingers. They disappeared in a sparkle of green.

Quinn gaped for a moment before gasping, “Lauren Guillemin! Those were expensive!”

“Waste of money if you asked me. They were ugly,” Loki grumbled. He moved to stand at Lauren’s side and looked around the entire space. “I must admit, my darling, I prefer the parties you throw in New York. This leaves… something to be desired, but it is not as if you had a say in the planning.”

“I beg your pardon?” Quinn huffed. “Y’all think you can do better? I’ve worked hard on this!”

Lauren glanced up at Loki and watched the smile break, wicked and full of mischief across his face.

“Well, bless your heart,” Loki drawled, making Lauren giggle, his grin growing even more. “But yes, I could do _much_ better.”

“Hmph!” Quinn thrust her nose into the air. “Then y’all are on your own! I quit!” She stomped off toward the interior of the house.

“I hope you can put your money where your mouth is, peaches. She’s runnin’ off to tattle,” Lauren sighed. She turned toward him and caught sight of Sadie coming through the open doors, garment bags in hand.

The brunette took one look at the room and her face twisted in disgust.

“Sadie!” Lauren called out.

She hurried forward on her tall heels, shaking her head. “Oh, Lulu! What the hell were they thinkin’?”

“You should have seen it before Loki got rid of the pillars,” Lauren groaned.

“Lady Sadie.” Loki nodded to her and eyed the bags.

“Loki,” she gave him a wink. “Good to see you again. You ready, Lu?”

“For?” Loki asked.

Lauren gave a small sigh. “Does it look like I’m ready?” she asked Sadie before turning to Loki. “We have a bit of ritual when it comes to these parties. Sadie comes early to drop off our gowns. Then, she and I usually get ready together. You know. Hair, makeup, help each other look perfect.”

“You need no help in that department, my heart,” Loki murmured, ducking down to kiss her reddening cheek.

“Thank you, peaches, but with all… _this_ … I just…”

“Lauren.” Loki cupped her cheeks. “I have this. Go. Do things with Sadie. Did you eat lunch?”

“Oh!” Lauren pressed a hand to her stomach when it growled.

“Clearly you did not.” He gave an exasperated sigh. “I will see to that as well.”

“Loki, no. I’m fine to get it myself.”

“Evidently you are not, or you would have joined Thor and I when the children ate,” he scolded gently. “Go do your things, my heart. I will see a meal is brought to your room.” He lifted her hand and kissed her palm.

Her blushed flared a little higher. “Are you sure?”

He rolled his eyes. “Go. Now.”

She rolled hers in return, stepped back, and dropped into a sweeping curtsey. “Yes, oh mighty god of Asgard.”

“Better,” he quipped, smirking at her and making Sadie giggle.

Lauren shook her head, but she returned his smile and stepped closer to go up on her toes and kiss his grinning lips. “So bad,” she murmured.

“Just how you like me.” He gave her bottom a pat and nodded to Sadie, shooing them on their way.

Sadie linked arms with Lauren. “He’s so great!” she sighed happily.

Lauren smirked at Loki over her shoulder. “Mmm, he’s somethin’ alright.”

They were on their way up the stairs as Thor was coming down, and Sadie’s grip became instantly tighter.

“That’s… that’s…”

“Thor, my lovely,” the blonde said, pausing on the stairs to offer his hand. “Brother to Loki and soon Lauren.” He lifted Sadie’s fingers to his lips.

“Oh!” Sadie giggled and blushed, causing Thor to grin.

“Sadie is my very best friend, and she’s _married_ , Thor. Behave yourself,” Lauren scolded.

“You wound me, little sister. I simply introduced myself to this _lovely_ woman.”

“Yeah, Lulu! Don’t go burstin’ a girl’s bubble!” Sadie gave her a wink.

“Does Marcus know of this _bubble_?” Lauren teased.

“Don’t you go tellin’ tales, Lauren Guillemin!” Sadie huffed.

Thor laughed, dropping down a few stairs to look up at them. “Ladies, it shall be our secret. Lauren, darling, I’m afraid we quite tuckered out the small ones. Young Sara showed me to their room after Benny dozed off. They are napping with Usun.”

Lauren leaned down and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Thor. Can you keep Loki out of trouble? Sadie and I are going to get ready.”

“Already?” he asked, looking shocked.

“It takes time to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse,” she laughed, patting his cheek.

“You are as lovely as an Asgardian evening, little sister. No work required.”

She smiled, another blush colouring her cheeks. “High praise indeed, Thor. I know just how lovely Asgard’s sky is at night.”

“You do?”

“Your brother is tricky that way,” she snickered, giving Thor a wink. “Thank you for entertainin’ the kids. I really appreciate it.”

“They are good children. It was not a hardship. I shall expect a dance this evening, Lauren. And perhaps the lovely Sadie would grant me one as well? With her husband’s approval, of course.”

“Marcus can stuff it!” Sadie giggled. “I ain’t turned down a dance with the King of Asgard!”

Lauren burst out laughing and shooed Sadie up the stairs. “I’m so tellin’ him you said that!”

***

Loki smiled when Lauren’s laughter echoed through the hall. When Thor came down the stairs moments later, he knew what the cause was and smirked at his brother. “Did you flirt with Sadie?”

“Only a little,” Thor huffed, his grin just as wide.

“Sadie Brockett has been one of the only people to be decent to Lauren since I have been here.”

“She is quite spirited,” Thor chuckled.

“It sounds as if her husband is also quite spirited.” Loki eyed him knowingly.

“I am well aware. I am not three hundred any longer, Loki. I do have restraint. It is not as if I need to flip every skirt which walks by.”

“Just flirt with it,” Loki chuckled.

“There is nothing wrong with flirting.” Thor crossed his arms.

“Hn. I recall father having a different opinion when you were younger. Did he not threaten to cast you into iron drawers to keep your cock contained?”

Thor burst out into a hearty chuckle. “Well, I was a randy fellow for an age.”

“For a century.”

“It was not my fault. I came fully into my powers about that time. The _fertility_ aspect took me by surprise.”

“More like, by the balls,” Loki laughed.

“It was a glorious few years.” Thor sighed, his eyes lost to memories.

“You nearly turned mother’s hair grey.”

“I think we did that together, brother.” Thor’s smile turned sad.

“Indeed,” Loki murmured, looking away toward the sound of approaching feet and the large man heading their way.

“We doin’ more here? The guys and I get paid by the hour whether we’re workin’ or not… so…” He shrugged, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at them with contempt.

Loki arched a brow at his attitude. “Your services are no longer required.”

“Huh?”

The thing Lauren had failed to realize was, though he’d been tasked with staying with Thor, he hadn’t bothered. Loki had cast an avatar, his brother well aware he wouldn’t leave his _Ástvinur_ to deal with them alone when he could be there, watch over her, and see she succeeded in her task of pulling this _disaster_ of a party out of its downward spiral.

He’d been thoroughly enjoying watching her go head to head with the insufferable Quinn. Her feisty nature was on full display and had caused many of the men working around her to stop and watch his Lauren with admiration.

But this man, for some reason, set Loki on edge. Something about the way he’d watched Lauren, all predatory eyes and sneering mouth, had Loki moments away from stringing him from the rafters by his entrails.

“What is your name?” he asked, the tone sharp and cold.

“Jimmy Johnson. What’s it to ya?”

“Well, _Jimmy_.” Loki pulled himself up to his full height, his magic burning in his eyes as he took a step into the man. “If you so much as _look_ toward my woman again, I will skin you alive and leave you for the dogs to feast upon.”

Jimmy took a step back, his eyes widening in fear. “Wh-what… what you goin’ on about?”

“Lauren is not some piece of meat to be leered at. If I see your eyes linger upon her again, I will send the crows to pluck them from your skull.” Thor’s hand came down upon his shoulder, but Loki would not be stopped. “Collect the rest of this _motley_ crew and remove yourself from this home. Your services are no longer required.”

“You can’t do that!”

“As the woman who was your boss has now quit, I most certainly can. _Leave_!” he snarled, the wolf he’d shown Lauren present in his voice.

“Loki,” Thor warned. “Take a breath, brother. They are leaving.”

Jimmy took another step back, more concerned with Thor’s arrival at Loki’s side than with Loki’s own threats. Too bad the one he truly needed to fear was the one standing before him.

“I don’t need this shit,” Jimmy sneered, waving his hands at them and stomped away out the door.

The rest of the men began to collect their gear as well when another man came up to them with his hat in his hand. “I apologize for Jimmy. He’s new. Only came on for this job when we wound up shorthanded.”

“Be more discerning in your selective process the next time,” Loki huffed.

“Will do.” He nodded, not offering his name. He turned on his heel and walked out, gathering the rest of the workers with him.

“What will you do now, brother?” Thor asked as he took in the half-finished space.

“I will fix it. Lauren will not be disappointed.” With a flick of his fingers, he transferred both himself and Thor to the second floor.

“Ugh, you know I dislike it when you do that.”

Loki only shrugged. “Let’s begin, shall we?”

***

Lauren giggled when Sadie fanned herself at the top of the stairs. “Lordy, there’s two of them! I can’t believe the eye candy you’ve brought home, Lu.”

“They definitely are easy on the eyes,” she agreed, taking two of the bags from Sadie and heading for Marabeth’s room.

“Are the rest of them as smokin’ hot as them two?” Sadie asked, nearly giddy with excitement.

“Handsome takes on a whole new connotation when it comes to the Avengers,” Lauren laughed, arriving at her sister’s door. It sat open, Marabeth nowhere to be seen, and Lauren breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lu?” Sadie murmured, laying one of the garment bags over a chair sat near the door. “How are you really?”

She smiled but it was sad and tired and a little tight. “It’s been a battle, Sadie. Worse than ever.”

Sadie took her hand and held it firmly. “I’m here for you, Lu. Whatever you need.”

“I know, Sadie,” she whispered, her voice catching on the rawness in her throat. “I’d never have made it this far without Loki.”

Sadie tugged her from the room and down the hall toward Cissy’s. “Oh, Lulu. The way that man looks at you. _Wow_!”

Lauren blushed and ducked her chin down. “He’s kind of amazin’, Sadie. We had a bit of a… misunderstanin’ this mornin’, but everythin’s better now. He’s not like people think. He’s not cold and hard and merciless. He’s… wonderful,” she sighed happily.

“Says the woman stupidly in love with him,” Sadie teased.

“I seem to recall you gushin’ and goin’ on about Marcus in much the same manner,” Lauren snickered.

“Yeah, well,” Sadie flushed and smiled. “I still do. He even puts up with my Avengers obsession.”

“I need to tell him I’m sorry about that!” Lauren giggled. “You’d never have gotten so invested if I didn’t keep tellin’ you stories from the tower.”

“Oh, hun. The obsession was already there! You just gave me a reason to run with it!” Sadie burst out laughing.

The door to Cissy’s room was wrenched open to reveal Cissy. Puffy-eyed and red-rimmed, Lauren blinked and gasped softly having never seen her sister look so dishevelled. “Cissy?”

“I hope your happy, Lauren. Because of you, mama’s fit to be tied.”

“Me? What did I do?” Lauren asked.

“You _embarrassed_ me! Mama called me a _whore_! Told me to get myself upstairs and to stay here till the party because I’d embarrassed her. Marabeth turned into a complete bitch, yellin’ and swearin’, accusin’ me of doin’ it on purpose. So I wanted to catch the King of Asgard’s eye? So what? You could have at least done me the courtesy of a _word_ beforehand to know I was puttin’ a foot wrong!”

Lauren took a step back when Cissy leaned threateningly toward her. “Cissy… mama’s been sayin’ forever you shouldn’t be flauntin’ yourself! I had nothin’ to do with Thor sayin’ what he did, and if mama’s mad, don’t go blamin’ me for your mistake.”

“You could have warned me!” she wailed.

It set off Lauren’s already short fuse. “Priscilla Elizabeth! Y’all need to pull your head out of your ass and start takin’ responsibility for your actions! You’ve spent the last few days tryin’ to entice _my_ fiancé to no avail, you dress like a slut to try and draw Thor’s attention, and then think it’s _my fault_ when he mistakes you for a loose moral woman? Grow up, Cissy! I ain’t your whippin’ boy any longer!”

A gleeful Sadie thrust Cissy’s garment bag at her. “‘Bout damn time, Lu.”

“You can’t… you… how dare you speak to me that way!” Cissy barked and slammed the door in their faces.

With a huff of breath, Lauren bit her quivering lip and stalked off toward her mother’s rooms.

“Good for you, Lu,” Sadie said a few minutes later.

“I just can’t even deal with all of them right now,” Lauren sighed. “They just keep clawin’ at me, Sade. It’s always _my_ fault, even when it’s not. You know, my mama turned on me when she found out Thor had brought gifts for the kids and Marabeth had protested. She immediately thought it was me who’d said Thor had overstepped. Me!” She stopped to lean her hand against the wall. “Why do they hate me?”

“Oh, Lu,” Sadie sighed, pulling her into a hug. “That’s a million dollar question. One we’ve been askin’ for ages. I still ain’t got a clue as to the why, but you’ll always have me and my family, your Gran, and it sounds like Loki and Thor have your back.”

“Yeah. Yeah, they do.” A little of the anguish in her heart settled with her friend’s words.

“Now. Let’s drop off this last bag and then you, darlin’ need to tell me what _that_ was about. Did Thor call Cissy a whore?” Sadie asked, eyes full of amusement.

“Somethin’ like that,” Lauren chuckled softly.

Sadie giggled for all she was worth as they made their way down the hall to pause in front of Magnolia’s door. It was open enough for them to make out the woman seated within, fussing in the mirror.

Lauren bolstered her courage and knocked on the door. “Mama, Sadie brought the dresses.”

“Lauren, dear. Come in!”

The cheery greeting threw Lauren off-kilter, but she pushed the door open and walked in, Sadie hot on her heels.

“I do hope Thor is enjoyin’ his visit?” Magnolia asked, looking up at Lauren in the mirror.

“He seems to be,” Lauren offered.

“Good. That nasty business with Cissy and Marabeth earlier could have led to disaster.”

“Yes, well… Cissy’s a little upset.” She looked to Sadie who was placing the second to last garment bag on the bed. The brunette gave a helpless shrug, unsure what the hell was happening.

Magnolia was never this nice.

“She dresses like a hussy. It was past time someone smacked her back.”

“Mama!” Lauren gasped.

“She’s spoiled, hun. We all know it.” Magnolia alighted from her stool before the mirror and swept up Lauren’s hands. “But let’s talk about you, Lauren. Are you happy, peaches? Everythin’ alright with your visit? I know I was pushin’ George at you somethin’ fierce, but I just wanted you happy. I can see know, your happiness lies in New York.”

Stunned, Lauren could only stare at her for a long moment before finding her voice. “Uh, yeah, mama. I mean, it’s been… um…”

“Oh, precious.” She released Lauren’s hands to cup her face. “That’s good. I’ll hear no more foolish talk about you leavin’ and never comin’ back now, you hear me?”

“O-okay?” Lauren couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Never in all her days had Magnolia spoken to her like she cared like she was worth something. While it satisfied a piece of Lauren’s soul to have her mother actually give a damn, another part of her, a much more cynical part, wondered what the hell her mother was up to.

“Good!” Her eyes drifted down to the necklace around Lauren’s neck. “That’s a pretty bobble, but I think we can do better for the party tonight.”

“Thank you, mama, but it was a gift from my _Ástvinur_. I won’t be takin’ it off, and it goes just fine with my dress.”

“Oh, but Lauren!” she started, reaching out to touch the _brúðr steinn_.

Lauren jerked backward, bringing her hand up to the item protectively. “No, mama. It’s an Asgardian thing. Leave it be.”

“So stubborn,” Magnolia huffed, the sleeves on her robe billowing outward when she slammed her hands to her hips. “You should be drippin’ diamonds in the dress Sadie picked out. Ain’t that right, Sadie?”

The woman who’d been watching the show from her perch on the bed shook her head. “Sorry, Miss Annandale, but since Loki modified Lauren’s dress, she’s right. Diamonds would look trashy.”

“Sadie Brockett! Why I never!” Magnolia huffed before turning back to Lauren. “I insist you take it off! Right now, Lauren Guillemin!”

“No!” Lauren snapped, glaring down her mother. “Mama! What’s gotten into you?”

“You can’t go enticin’ one man while wearin’ another man’s jewelry!”

“What?” Lauren whispered, unable to believe she’d heard that correctly. “What?”

“Thor, darlin'! Thor! He already has feelin’s for you, I can tell. You’ll break it off with this _Loki_ , and charm Thor instead.”

“ _What_?” Lauren shouted.

“Why be simply a princess when you could be _queen_ , Lauren!”  

She took a step in retreat, concerned with the crazy she could see blooming in her mother’s eyes. “Why would I… that’s… you’re off your rocker, mama! I love Loki, not Thor!”

“Who said anythin’ about _love_? This is about power.” Magnolia stalked her across the room, eyes locked on the _brúðr steinn_. “Now, take that off, or I’ll rip it from your throat.”

“Miss Annandale!” Sadie gasped, stepping between her and Lauren. “Y’all need to calm down. You’re talkin’ crazy.”

“What would you know?” Magnolia sneered at Sadie. “You’re pedigree is no better than the mongrel now runnin’ the halls of my home.”

“Mama!” Lauren gasped.

“Magnolia!” The harsh voice rocked the woman back on her heeled slippers like a slap.

Magnolia pulled her robe tighter around her. “Hoyt! What… what are you doin’ here?”

“I heard the shoutin’,” he growled, hand clenched around the doorknob. “Lauren, sweetheart. You and Sadie get on out of here. Your mama and I need to have words.”

“Daddy?” Lauren looked to him and had a rush of relief fill her when his hard eyes softened.

“You go on,” he said, nodding toward the hall.

Sadie grabbed the garment bag in one hand and Lauren with the other. “Thanks, Mr. Annandale.”

“Thank you, Sadie.”

Lauren paused at his side, dragging her hand back from Sadie. “Daddy?”

He touched her cheek and placed a kiss to the top of her head. “It’ll be alright, little girl. I promise.”

“Daddy,” she sighed, eyes full of tears.

“I know I can’t make up for… everythin’, but I’m not gonna let things slide anymore. You and your friend go get ready. Save me a dance?”

“Always.” A tremulous smile broke upon her lips as Lauren stood on her toes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered before darting out the door. It slammed with a good bit of force, but she didn’t stick around long enough to hear the details.

“Lu?” Sadie asked, her eyes big and round.

“Guess we’ve got a lot to talk about, huh?” Lauren chuckled.

“You bet your ass!” Sadie barked and snatched up her hand to drag her toward the nearest set of exterior doors, preferring to take the shortcut around the house rather than back through all the twisting hallways. “With all this excitement, who needs Avengers?”

Practically running along with her, Lauren revelled in the cooling breeze and the incredible moment of joy she’d gotten from her father’s interference.

He was on her side. He had her back.

For the first time in forever, she didn’t fear her mother’s retaliation.

***

“Impressive.” Thor nodded, staring at the ceiling. “Reminds me of that one cave.”

“On Vanaheim, I know. If you’d be willing to assist, a jolt of lightning right there will light the works.” Loki motioned to the tip of the centre stone.

“You are sure the ceiling will not come down?” Thor asked, doing as requested.

“What do you take me for?” Loki scoffed. “Only the three in the center are real. The rest is an illusion.”

“A masterful illusion,” Thor murmured.

“And just the beginning.” Another wave of his hand had them standing in the center of the ballroom.

“Must you? We could take the stairs,” Thor grumbled.

“Stop being a child. We’ve jumped farther with less success. Be thankful I don’t put you in the wall or something.”

“Wouldn’t be the first time.”

He glanced to Thor’s grumpy face and turned his wrist over, so a large stein of beer rested in his palm. “Better?”

“Much!” Thor snickered, plucking it up by the handle.

“So… red and white are to be this _theme_ , but I am well aware there should be blue for this apparent feast day,” Loki murmured to himself. “Hold on to your beer, brother.”

Magic rose in crackling lines of green to swirl and dip and curl around the room. Lines of it went straight to the ceiling, flowing out and down, draping sheer white curtains from the rafters high above to the floor far below, and enclosing the ballroom in a sea of soft white. The floor beneath his feet rippled, the hardwood disappearing, replaced by an illusion of stone never before seen on earth. It shimmered a pearlescent cream but was heavily veined in a red so dark it appeared as if someone had drawn rivers of wine through the white. Trees of inky black grew up along the walls, spreading branches and unfurling leaves of silver while blossoms of red and white budded into flowers which smelled sweetly of nectar, each stately trunk highlighting a doorway.

It was a wonderland of red and white, but it felt as if something were missing. With a smirk, Loki reached out and touched the nearest drape. A burst of sparkles erupted from his fingertips to wing their way around the room, little blue lights which would dance and move throughout the night.

“Loki,” Thor breathed in awe. “You have outdone yourself. Lauren will be most impressed.”

“It will show better once the evening descends.” He turned his attention to each of the rooms around the hall and changed those around as well.

Each ‘bar’ was redone in the same white walls, but he turned the trees into vines, racing up the wall behind the serving center and out along the ceiling, similar to pictures of grapes in a vineyard he’d once come across. Leaves of silver hung from them, but he chose to forgo the flowers. Instead, he lit the walls, blue lights which shone toward the ceiling, and turned the floor into an inky black sparkling with stars.

“Reminds me of one of Tony’s nightclubs,” Thor chuckled.

“Overdone?” Loki asked.

“You know it is not. The people will have a taste of Asgard this night as well, I would hope?”

Loki sent his brother a smug grin and wandered into the room where the food would be served. “Something like this?” he asked, waving his hand toward the tables.

Everything shimmered and shifted, becoming stone and wood, a rugged counterpoint to the elegance of the other rooms.

“Perhaps, if you refine it some,” Thor said, arching a brow as he downed his beer.

“Hm, indeed.”

Another flick of wrist had the ceiling disappearing, replaced by the vision of an Asgardian night. The illusion was impeccable, the walls darkened though they appeared, still, as stone. Each table was covered with a thick cloth of velvety red and black brocade, playing host to immense candelabra of snowy white, already aglow with candles.

“You surprise even me with your imagination, Loki.” Thor wandered further into the room and passed his hand through the flickering flames of the illusion. “You’re powers are already increasing.”

A smirk, wicked and full of delight graced Loki’s face. “I do not even feel winded.”

“Incredible.” Thor passed his hand through the candle. “Your illusions used to disappear at a touch. Now, to see them only waiver and resume, brother, I am amazed.”

“My _Ástvinur_ is a blessing,” Loki agreed. “None of this would be possible without Lauren.”

“And what will your finale be? You have one set of rooms left.”

The lounging area was a problem, but Loki was nothing if not creative. More whips of magic had the room sparkling like a diamond. The tables and chairs seemed made of glass, while more black vines and blood red flowers dripped from the ceiling. He mirrored the walls, reflecting the interior back a thousand times over, and among the branches upon the roof, he set glittering white lights which cast a soft glow over the room.

Thor grinned wide at himself in the mirror. “How romantic of you, Loki. Lauren will be pleased.”

“As a possum eating a sweet potato,” Loki chuckled.

“Pardon?”

He shook his head. “It is one of Lauren’s more colourful southernisms.”

“Ah.” Thor nodded. “Like how she calls you peaches?”

“It is preferable to overgrown Asgardian,” Loki quipped, throwing a devious smirk his brother’s direction.

Thor glowered at him, but the clip of swiftly moving heels coming their direction halted any further rebuttal. A staccato beat echoed, indicating two pairs of heels.

“It appears we are to be _chastised_ , well, I am at any rate. Shall we?”

Thor rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “I see what you mean about the sisters. They are poisonous, but then the mother was no better. The audacity of her to blame Lauren without all the facts. How inappropriate.”

“It is what is done in this family. She is seen as one without worth,” Loki fairly growled, sauntering out of the room to wait for the arrival of what he was certain would be Marabeth and Quinn.

“Without worth? Ha!” Thor snorted. “If they understood at all her value to us, they would be ashamed.”

“Shame does not seem to compute with this family. Marabeth treats her children as nothing but possessions to be owned. Cissy acts the brat, never having been told no a day in her life. She _steals_ from Lauren, or, as Lauren put it, _borrows and forgets to return_ whatever it was she wanted. And then there is Magnolia. The _mother_. Who was sleeping with Lauren’s previous fiancé.” Such anger lived in him for this family, such hate, Loki had to clench his fist to keep from cursing the entire lot of them.

“You will have to excuse me, brother, but I must have misheard you. Did you say Lauren’s intended was sleeping with her mother?” Thor was staring at him agape.

“Yes,” he hissed like the snake he was known for.

Thor passed his hand over his face. “I see why you wished my return to this place. When this is finished, we should return to Asgard with your _Ástvinur._ Take her where people will appreciate her.”

“If she so chooses,” Loki agreed. “She is a strong woman. Unbelievable strong,” he murmured softly. He flicked a finger in the direction of her room. A tray of food would be waiting on her dresser when she arrived.

There had been a host of information coming to him from the _brúðr steinn_. Anger, hurt, confusion. The slow buildup of fear which had ended abruptly when her father had appeared. She knew now the worth of his gift and had protected it with a ferocity which humbled him.

He wasn’t sure what had happened, only that it included her mother, the _brúðr steinn,_ and eventually her father. Had Hoyt not arrived when he did, Loki would likely have wound up with his hand wrapped around the throat of another of Lauren’s family members. However, it seemed her father was stepping in, as he’d said he would.

It made Lauren deliriously happy. That, in turn, made him happy. He was determined to forever more stand as her shield against those who would harm her.

“Loki,” Thor murmured, staring down at his hands.

He startled slightly when he glanced down to find his fists wreathed in green flames. “Forgive me. I was thinking,” he said, snuffing out the fire.

“Brother.”

The word full of caution had Loki sighing. “Last stage. Last stage, Thor. My need to protect her from any and all things is… consuming.”

“Do not kill anyone who does not ultimately deserve it,” Thor murmured, glaring at the women standing in the doorway leading into the ballroom.

Their mouths hung open, and the look of utter disbelief made Loki chuckle. “I did tell her I could do better.”

When Marabeth and Quinn exchanged a look, turned around and left, Loki broke out in laughter.

“It appears you are above reproach!” Thor laughed along with him.

He had to wipe tears from his eyes, then clapped a hand down on Thor’s shoulder. “Come. We will take care of the garden. Then, perhaps we will drink for a while.”

“If you are creating the beer, Loki, I will drink it.” Thor gave a sharp, excited nod, and the two of them made their way out into the late afternoon sun.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: smexy and feels

 

* * *

Sadie stared at her in stupefied silence, her gaze drifting from Lauren’s down to the _brúðr steinn_ and back up. “Lordy,” she finally managed to breathe out. “Lu… that’s… that’s… somethin’.”

Lauren only snickered softly.

It had been a shocking afternoon for her best friend, starting from the moment she’d tripped in the exterior doors to stumble to a stop and stare at what had once been Lauren’s bed.

The extravagance of the green and gold silk, the sheer layers of curtains, and ornate bed frame had Sadie’s mouth falling open in surprise. After, the questions had come fast and furious, seeming without end, as she’d rushed across the room and flopped over backward on the luxurious bed.

Lauren’s eye, however, had been caught by the tray of finger sandwiches, a pitcher of cold tea, a bowl of fruit and platter of cheeses left on her dresser. She’d smiled even as she’d shaken her head. It was not something Sue Ann would have sent up, and she knew instantly her crafty God of Mischief had used magic to create her something to eat.

She’d made quick work of the offering from her seat on the sofa, filling Sadie in on the mayhem and chaos which had consumed the past few days. Sadie had laughed wickedly when Lauren explained about Cissy, nearly falling from the bed when she kicked her heels to the ceiling.

Sadie had joined her on the sofa after, helping plow through the mound of food Loki had left while Lauren talked about what had happened with her father, with Marabeth, and with George. Her best friend had been madder than a wet hen when Lauren had told her about what her mother had been up to with her ex, and how he had expected to waltz back into her life and make off with the Annandale fortune.

If Lauren had a moment of weakness and sniffled a little, Sadie hadn’t held it against her. It was a trauma Lauren knew she would need time and distance from to stop having it hurt her. Of course, she’d ended up on the receiving end of a Sadie hug, the kind that came with tightly squeezing arms and quiet murmurs of reassurance, just like the ones she’d gotten from Sadie’s mother’s when Lauren was a girl.

After, she’d excused herself to the bathroom to strip out of her dress and throw on a robe. In the mirror over the sink, Lauren had caught sight of the golden suns clinging to her breasts and shivered when a rush of heat went straight to her core. They’d been a decadent kind of torment all day, keeping the buds swollen and tender, throbbing slightly when her dress brushed them.

Seated on the couch, she’d found the dress moved with more freedom to the point where a flush had grown in her cheeks from how aroused she always was. Sadie had looked at her funny, but Lauren simply waved it off as the fault of the late day heat which seemed to have stalled outside her door.

When she’d returned, Sadie had borrowed Lauren’s other robe and was waiting before the makeup table with all of the best cosmetics. They would do hair and makeup first, then dress as was proper.

It was then Sadie really began to ask questions, and Lauren had caved, telling her everything about coming home with a fake boyfriend who swiftly became a phony fiancé, only to have him admit real feelings and give her the _brúðr steinn._ The explanation of its significance was even more complicated, and when she finished, Lauren sat there and watched her friend gape at her.

“Close your mouth, hun. You look to be catchin’ flies.” She gave Sadie a wink.

Sadie shook a finger at Lauren in the mirror. “Nuh uh! Y’all just told me you’re the _perfect_ match, the _only_ match to the God of Mischief! I’m entitled to have a moment to freak out, Lulu!”

With a laugh, Lauren stroked her fingers over the pendant. “You can see why I couldn’t let mama get a hold of it.”

“Hell, yeah! Why, if she had any idea…” Sadie’s voice trailed off as her eyes grew big and round. “Lu… your mama called you a prin-princess!”

“Oh!” Lauren paled. “Yeah, no. It’s not a big deal. Loki said I could opt out and all if I want.” She twisted her ring around her finger nervously and bit her lip.

Sadie’s eyes softened before she stepped behind Lauren, bent close and wrapped her arms around her a second time. “Don’t let the things your mama and sisters have been spewing at you all your life taint what you will have with him, Lu. You’re beautiful, smart, and talented. You were _made_ for him. How marvellous is that? You’re so special, Lu, an entire race rejoices because of you. Be a princess. You never know, hun. You may like it. And besides, who cares what three mean-spirited old nanny goats think when the _King_ of Asgard calls you little sister.”

Tears welled even as she laughed, grasped Sadie’s arms, and held them tight to her chest. “Mean-spirited old nanny goats is right up there with beddin’ wench!”

“I’m rather proud of it.” Sadie winked at her in the mirror before a wicked grin bared all her teeth. “But I have a question for you.”

“Shoot,” Lauren said as Sadie pulled away. She reached for her hairbrush and tried not to shiver when the silky texture of her robe rubbed her erect nipple.

“What the hell kind of kinky fuckery are you and Loki up to?”

“Huh!?” she gasped, turning a shade close to crimson.

“Girl,” Sadie smirked. “Y'all have your bellybutton pierced, don’t go thinkin’ I didn't notice. Loki has only to touch you, and y’all practically melt from the sizzle. Add in the bit of hanky-panky goin’ on in my stock room, somethin’ you never would have got up to with ol’ quick draw Montgomery, and I was already suspicious. But since I got here, you’ve got somethin’ goin’ on… somethin’... deviant.” She narrowed her eyes at Lauren as Lauren pulled the collars of her robe tighter together. “Spill it, Lu.”

“It’s… um… nothin’.”

“Lauren Guillemin! Don’t you go givin’ me that _nothin’_ garbage. I got eyes! I can see somethin’ is up with you.” Sadie shook her finger at her all over again.

Like a chastised child, Lauren turned back to the mirror and began vigorously brushing her hair. “It ain’t nothin’, really.” The shock of pleasure betrayed her, and Lauren nearly dropped the brush.

“Liar!” Sadie crowed, wiggling and giggling for all she was worth. “C’mon, Lu! I need to know! I can only imagine how… how… _virile_ an Asgardian would be in bed. I’m dyin’ here!”

“Sadie June Brockett! What would your mama say?”

“She’d say the same damn thing, and you know it,” Sadie huffed.

Lauren snickered. It was the truth after all. Sadie’s mother had been the one she’d gone to when things with George had gotten… physical. Still, she wasn’t about to give in that easy. “Pervert. Gettin’ all up in my love life.”

“ _Please_!” Sadie whined, taking the brush away to work it through Lauren’s hair.

The move was a dirty one. Sadie knew just how much Lauren loved having her hair done. “Sadie…”

“Marcus and I have a swing.”

“What!” She almost ripped a chunk of hair from her head when she whipped it around to look at Sadie. “You… _really_?”

Sadie chuckled even as her cheeks pinked lightly. “Yeah, well. Been married a while now. It added a little spice to our love life.”

Lauren could only gape at her in amazement. “Should I be askin’ _you_ what kinda kinky fuckery y’all get up to?”

A wide grin grew on the brunette’s face, her brow arched, and she cocked her hip to the side. “Honey, you ask me anythin’ you want. I ain’t shy.”

“Sweet, merciful Jesus!” Lauren squeaked and turned back to the mirror.

It didn’t help when Sadie laughed loudly, gave her a saucy wink, and went back to working on Lauren’s hair.

Silence hung for a few more heartbeats before Lauren swallowed thickly and muttered, “Nip… nipple shields.”

“Can I see?”

“NO!” She crossed her arms over her chest.

Sadie burst out laughing.

“Hussy.” Lauren pouted.

More silence hung once Sadie’s laughter ended, and Lauren let her eyes drift closed, relaxing into the soothing touch. They’d already decided to tie her hair back in a low knot at her nape. Her dress was elegant and streamlined, a statement in itself. The focal point would be the _brúðr steinn_ , and the cuffs around her wrists which seemed to fit so well with her outfit. The beautiful patterns on them matched almost exactly the ones on her pendant. 

“So,” Sadie said softly, “What’s he like in that ginormous bed y’all share?”

A smirk twitched Lauren’s lips. Sadie was like a dog with a bone. “Amazin’,” she sighed as she gave up the battle.

“Does he keep you comin’ for hours? He seems the type to want to sink in and just… _wallow_.”

“I don’t know.” A particularly had jerk of the hair had Lauren’s eyes popping open. “What?”

“How can you not know?” Sadie eyed her suspiciously.

Another flush burned through Lauren’s face. “We… we haven’t actually…”

“Y’all haven’t had sex yet!” Sadie barked.

“Little louder, hun. Don’t think the fella’s in the barn heard you!” She shot Sadie a glare.

“Wait, wait! Hold up. You have one of the _finest_ men I have ever laid eyes on sleepin’ in your bed, and you _haven’t_ jumped his bones? Lauren Guillemin Annandale!”

“It’s not like that!” she protested as Sadie began pushing pins into Lauren’s hair with a little too much vigour. “He found out about George-”

“Three pump pencil prick,” Sadie muttered.

Lauren rolled her eyes. “-and Loki got this crazy idea in his head that he had to make up for George’s shortcomin’s,” Sadie snorted, “in the sack.”

That arched Sadie’s brow a second time. “And just _how_ did he go about doin’ that, darlin’?”

She blushed and looked away from the mirror. “He… he… made up for what I missed out on.”

“He gave you _orgasms_?” she squeaked.

Lauren nodded, thoroughly embarrassed.

“How many?”

“Sadie!”

“Oh, like I’m gonna let you stop now! How many and where? All in the sexy bed? Other places? Details, girl, details!!”

Lauren covered her face with her hands. “Why do I like you again?”

“Because I’m awesome. Now, spill!”

“God, Sadie!” she shouted, fully exasperated.

“Okay, okay. How about just one? One, nicely detailed encounter to tide me over.”

“You sound like a horny teen again!”

Sadie reached for the hairspray. “So my sex drive is high! So what?”

“One would think you were pregnant or somethin’ with how you’re carryin’ on,” Lauren muttered.

The hand reaching for the hairspray froze before making contact.

Lauren’s gaze snapped to Sadie’s in the mirror. “No…” she whispered.

Tears welled in Sadie’s eyes as her best friend nodded.

She was off the stool with her arms wrapped around Sadie in a second. “Oh, _Sadie_!” Lauren cried, unbelievably happy for them. “How long?”

“Just ten weeks. The throwin’ up has finally calmed down,” Sadie said through happy tears.

“Why didn’t you say somethin’ sooner?” Lauren scolded, setting Sadie away but keeping hold of her arms as they both sniffled back tears.

“You kinda trumped me with the whole _the God of Mischief_ _is my fiancé_ thing,” she laughed.

A sheepish smile curled Lauren’s lips. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“No, no! I was so excited. I planned on tellin’ you tomorrow once all the ruckus of _that_ ,” she tilted her head toward the door, “was through.”

“I’m just so happy for you! A baby,” she sighed, “How’d Marcus take the news?”

“Fell off the porch,” Sadie snickered.

“No!”

“Right into the azaleas!”

She could see it vividly and laughed at the image. “Poor boy. What about your mama and daddy?”

“Mama tried to break my ears with her screamin’. Daddy looked torn between elated and like he wanted to kill Marcus for knockin’ up his little girl!”

It sent Lauren into more rounds of laughter for it sounded just like what she expected. Sadie’s daddy was the sweetest, kindest, biggest softy around, but he was a devil when it came to his baby. “He’ll come ‘round when there’s a grandbaby to bounce on his knee. I’m so happy for you, hun.” She seemed to grow in radiance right before Lauren’s eyes.

“Thanks, Lu.”

They hugged again, the two women closer than ever, even though they'd spent nearly four years separated by distance.

“Enough of this sappy stuff, weepin’ like old women,” Sadie muttered, shooing Lauren back onto the stool. “Least it was before we did our makeup.”

Lauren giggled as she sat, deliriously happy for her friend.

“So?” Sadie said, eyeing her impatiently.

“What?”

“Do I get my story now?”

Lauren groaned, but it was half-hearted. “Fine. Guess that news is kind of worth a present,” she teased.

“Damn straight!”

Snickering, Lauren motioned toward the bed. “Those shears were a new addition to the bed last night,” she began, smiling as she remembered and tried not to shiver in pleasure.

***

“Damn…” Sadie wheezed, now seated, as Lauren worked the curling iron through her hair so her waves would fall in curls and ringlets from her crown down the back of her neck.

“It’s why I could tell Thor I knew what an Asgardian evenin’ looked like,” Lauren smiled.

“I say again. _Damn_ … Do you think he'd give Marcus a few pointers?”

“Sadie!”

“What? I love my husband, but _damn_ , girl. Yours has got skills!” She fanned herself suggestively and made Lauren blush.

“I swear, Sadie June if you tell Marcus any of this I will see that picture from the fourth grade Easter picnic ends up emailed to every one of your clients!”

She gasped in horror. “You big ho! You swore you destroyed that picture!”

Lauren gave her a smug smile. “Au contraire. I said it would never see the light of day.”

“Do I need to remind you of the county fair where you tore open the backside of your pants escapin’ from Bobby Franklin? I seem to recall panties of shockin’ green with little white sheep.”

Lauren froze. “You wouldn't.”

“Oh, I so would.”

They stared each other down.

“Truce?” they said at the same time and broke out in giggles.

Lauren gently squeezed Sadie’s shoulder. “I really have missed you.”

“Me too, hun.” Sadie patted her hand. A quiet knock came to the door before either of them could say any more.

“Yes?” Lauren called.

“Lauren, darling. Are you ladies decent?”

“Come on in, Loki,” Sadie giggled.

“Do I need to cover my eyes?” he asked as he pushed in the door, hand hovering at face level.

“You’re fine, peaches.” Lauren smiled and shook her head when he dropped his hand. “Y’all alright? Where’s Thor?”

“Drinking in the garden.” He eyed her appreciatively. “Darling, you will be most radiant tonight.”

“Hush, you. I’m still in my bathrobe,” she huffed, finishing the last of Sadie’s curls and giving the whole mass a once over with the hairspray.

“So? You are gorgeous no matter what you wear...  or don’t wear,” he said, his grin wicked.

Sadie snickered and smirked at Lauren in the mirror. “He’s so bad! I love it.”

“You two are terrible,” Lauren grumbled.

“Did you stick it to Quinn and fix it all up, Loki?” Sadie asked, ignoring Lauren completely.

“Hm.” He shrugged. “I believe it will suit. I thought perhaps I could spirit Lauren away for a moment to see if it meets with her approval as, from what I’ve gathered, the guests will be arriving soon.”

“Do you ever just ask him questions so he’ll talk to you in that pretty voice?” Sadie asked, looking up at Lauren.

“Fancy, ain’t he? He read me poetry by the river the other day,” Lauren teased, sending Loki a smirk.

“Really?” Sadie sighed. “Be still my heart.”

Loki only arched a brow and prowled forward with his ground-eating stride. “Lady fair, have we not met in our lives elsewhere? Darkling in my mind tonight, faint fair faces dare, memory's old unfaithfulness to what was true and fair. Long of memory is regret, but what regret has taken flight through my memory's silences? Lo, I turn it to the light. 'Twas but a pleasure in distress, too faint and far off for redress, but some light glancing in your hair and in the liquid of your eyes, seem to murmur old goodbyes in our lives elsewhere. Have we not met, lady fair?”*

“Ohh… my word,” Sadie whispered, her eyes huge and cheeks red when Loki took her hand and lifted her fingers to his lips. She blinked at him for a moment before turning her flushed face toward Lauren. “I hate you.”

“Try bein’ on the receivin’ end of that when you _know_ he ain’t teasin’.” Lauren fanned her own flushed face.

Loki only laughed. “Everyone keeps calling me _fancy_ , I may as well play the part.”

“ _Please_ , can I borrow him?” Sadie begged, making Lauren giggle.

“For what, pray tell?” he asked.

Lauren patted his chest before heading for the two dresses hung off the door of her closet. “Sadie’s just teasin’, peaches.”

Sadie grasped Loki’s hand. “No, no I’m not! _Teach my husband!_ ”

Loki gave her a wink and brushed his hair back. “You can’t teach perfection, Sadie dear.”

Lauren snorted.

“Ouch, darling. You have bruised my ego.”

“You’ll live,” she threw over her shoulder while collecting her gown. “Sadie? What underwear am I using with this?”

“You could stick with none, my heart,” Loki crooned wickedly.

“Behave, you.” Lauren sent him a warning glance.

“If I was the vindictive sort,” Sadie grumbled, “I’d conveniently forget to tell you about the box I put in the bathroom, and let your… _Ástvinur_?” she looked to Loki who smiled and nodded, “Have his way.”

“But you’re not,” Lauren laughed.

“But I’m not. Jealous? Hell yeah, but not vindictive,” Sadie pouted.

Lauren continued to chuckle as she took her dress from the back of the door. “Give me two shakes, Loki, and I’ll come have a look.”

“No rush, darling. I’ll wait outside.” He nodded to Sadie, tucked his hands in his pockets, and exited through the balcony doors.

Lauren frowned, confused by his decision to wait on the balcony, but went into the bathroom to change as Sadie finished touching up her makeup.

She barely had the door shut before the reason for his exit was made clear when familiar hands landed on her hips and pulled her to his chest.

“Loki!” she hissed. “What are you doing?”

“I missed you, my love,” he murmured, pressing her into the countertop. “With how incredibly gorgeous you look, I simply had to touch you.” His hands pulled at the ties of her blue satin robe until it came loose and bared the length of her to his eyes. “Perfection,” he hummed, tracing his fingertips over her breasts.

Lauren shuddered under the attention, loving it even as she blushed.

“Look at how you glow, my heart. How radiant you are.” He turned her to face the mirror and pulled her robe open further.

She did seem rather… _rosy_ , the flush colouring most of her body when she caught sight of herself. Her skin had browned a bit from their day by the river, causing the gold of her serpents around her navel, the suns around her nipples, and the necklace around her throat to shimmer and shine brightly.

Sadie had worked magic with her face, giving Lauren cat eyes and a pouty red lip. Her hair looked like corn silk, tied low and loose in a knot at her nape. Wisps curled against her cheeks, soft and flowing, and her eyes sparkled a deep, dark green.

Loki’s fingers skimmed the valley between her breasts, then cupped them and made her moan. His thumbs brushed her nipples, the buds fat and hard.

Lauren leaned her head back against him. “ _Elskan min…”_ she sighed, relishing the coolness of his chest after the heat of the day.

“You make my heart pound when you say those words,” he breathed, gliding his hands from her breasts down the sleek length of her torso. He framed her tattoo with his fingers and nipped gently at her jaw. “I want to kiss you, and touch you, and lick you all over until I have tasted every inch of your skin.”

“Loki,” she moaned softly, her fingers wrapping around his wrists.

A wicked chuckle spilled from his lips. “Tonight, my darling, nothing will keep me from doing so.”

Fingers pet her hips, long strokes, tender touches which had heat and wetness pooling between her thighs. “Lo-Loki,” she whined when the fingers of one hand skated lower to brush her mound and those of the other returned to her chest.

“Sadly, I need to take these from you, my sweet.” He traced his finger around one golden sun. “They will quite show through your gown.”

Lauren could have hardly cared at the moment, her attention entirely focused on the fingers gradually dipping lower with every slow curl. She ached. She yearned. She whimpered for more and looked to his face in the mirror. Hers was pink with arousal, but his. His was the face of a Warrior God come to remind her to who she belonged.

The image of the two of them was one of soft surrender and dark ascendancy. He appeared powerful with eyes full of lust and clenched jaw, so tall her head fit beneath his chin. A picture of strength, he was the definition of control. Her body responded to his touch like a puppet, albeit a willing one. He breathed in, and she exhaled. He touched her, and she purred, arched and moaned.

It was freeing. Where once she’d felt inadequate in such matters, now Lauren knew it was not she who had been the problem but her partner. With Loki, there were no such worries. Not anymore. She may be inexperienced, but he never made her feel it. He played, and he taught, and he showed her things she’d never known existed. She could place herself in his hands and know nothing but happiness.

He brought her joy. So very much joy. A joy that would last… _forever._

“I love you, Loki,” she sighed, feeling it to the very depth of her soul.

The _brúðr steinn_ warmed against her skin and drew her attention. It pulsed and pulled a gasp from her lips when the branches twisted around each other. She watched in amazement as they grew tighter, thicker, braided together and became a rope of densely packed scales. The ends which had once been links of chain holding the square pendant against the hollow of her throat became the heads of serpents while the pendant itself glowed brightly, burned with cold fire, and in a flash of finalizing magic turned into a multifaceted green jewel the size of a golf ball.

She would have stared longer, but Loki spun her around, gazing in amazement for one moment before lifting a shaking hand toward the gem. Tears ran down his face from eyes so blue they seemed as endless as the sky. They were full of his emotions; love, joy, disbelief, and such humble thanksgiving, Lauren couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks.

“Is… is that it?” she asked, feeling giddy and shocked all wrapped up in elation. Had she done it? Somehow, someway, had she finished the bond?

**

Loki ran his fingertip down the golden torque to the head of one serpent. Held between its fangs was a jewel he’d never imagined seeing again, the one he’d fashioned from blood and magic. The one that carried his every hope and dream. The _brúðr steinn_ was finished and in its place sat the torque of her station with his heart stone at its center.

Flames flickered within it. A pulse which followed the beat of his heart. It was finished. Completed in a moment of quiet seduction. It was so like her to do something grand in such a simple fashion.

“Lauren…” His forehead pressed to hers as he cupped her face. “You honour me, _elskan min_. You _humble_ me. You… you…” His heart was so full, he couldn't express the emotions with words, nor hold back the cascade of tears that fell from his eyes.

It had been so subtle, her final round of acceptance coming after such a traumatic start to the day. The figurative _click_ of her light, her soul, fitting into place against his was no louder than a key turning in a lock. The writhing turmoil of darkness inside him, a battle he’d waged for so long had gone from the constant crashing of waves against a slowly eroding bluff of resistance to silence. A glassy calm lake now reflected the brightness of a full moon. The peace of it, the quiet, left him dragging in ragged breaths. Giant, shuddering breaths as the moment overwhelmed him.

“Loki?” she whispered, clinging to his shirt.

“You did it,” he finally choked out. “You did it. My beautiful, brave, magnificent woman. You did it.”

“Really?” she sobbed softly, staring at him with her stunning eyes.

“Really,” he murmured, brushing the tears from her cheeks. “You’re mine. Only mine. _Forever mine_.” He kissed her then, unable to believe he hadn’t yet done so, stole into her mouth and seduced her tongue into tangling with his, dancing with his, until neither could breath and broke apart with a gasp.

Her fingers lifted to her throat and hovered shakily over the heart stone. “I’m yours.”

“And I’m yours, my love. Only yours,” he declared, deliriously happy.

He wanted to scream. Shout. Roar his triumph to the heavens. She accepted him. She loved him. She would have him. Their love would be one for the ages, a tale talked of for generations by the people of Asgard. The fastest binding ever achieved by a Dark God and his _Ástvinur._

Then the reality of it all sank in.

 _She was his_.

“Lauren,” he crooned, the sound sensual and darkly erotic. “My most cherished love.” Loki backed her into the counter where he pinned her with his hips. His hands brushed the satin from her shoulders, baring her body to his eyes as her robe fell from her suddenly limp arms. He lifted her up to sit on the blue fabric, making sure she felt every long, hard inch of what she'd done to him.

Her eyes, as dark as the gem at her throat fluttered shut on a sinful sweet moan when he began stroking her kitten-soft skin.

“I had planned, my darling, on seducing my intended tonight but now, now my heart, I shall seduce and claim my bonded _Ástvinur_. You are mine now, and tonight we will ascend together to Valhalla,” he pressed her back over his arm as he lowered his mouth to her breast. “Where you will reign,” he swept his tongue over the first shield, making it vanish and Lauren moan, “the queen of this dark god’s heart,” he switched to the other and treated it in kind, “forevermore.”

“Loki,” she pleaded, her hands pressed to the counter behind her.

He lifted his head and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. With his eyes blazing a solid green and the sharp angles of his face appearing hard and shadowed, his hair hanging forward to give him a dishevelled appearance, he could see what she meant by conquering War God.

But it was her radiance he focused on. She had become of Asgard with her acceptance, and while the change was subtle, those who knew her well would see it. Where before she had been stunningly beautiful, now she'd taken on a radiance that made her seem ethereal. The heart of compassion and inner light which made her the _Ástvinur_ of a dark god now appeared on the outside as well. Before she had been a candle flickering in the dark.

Now… she was the moon.

He placed a kiss over her heart and lifted her back up to drop a second on her lips. As he held her close, he brought their heads back together and murmured softly, “As you have given me my life, I give it over to you. As you have trusted me with your heart, I vow never to break it. May the heavens open and Odin strike me down should I ever hurt you again. From this day forth, I promise to share my cup and my meat, my bed and my hearth. You shall have all you need, want, or desire, you have only to name it. What troubles you, I shall bear, and what troubles I encounter I vow to seek your counsel. For I was once lost, adrift in a world of darkness, until my light appeared.” He looked deep into her teary eyes. “And what a wondrous, glorious light she is.”

“Oh, my…” Lauren sighed. She lifted her hand to touch his lips with quiet reverence. “That was beautiful, but it sounded really formal.”

“Of course. Those are my vows, my promise to my bonded _Ástvinur._ I thought Midgardians had a similar ritual?” He frowned, sure of it.

“When?” she asked.

“When they finalize their union.”

She frowned back for a moment. Pondering. The little furrow between her brows ridiculously adorable before her eyes grew comically round. “Are you… do you mean… weddin’ vows? Did you just… _marry_ _me_?”

“No,” he scoffed for it was so much more than that, but when she seemed to dim, lose some of that stunning brightness as if disappointed, he was quick to murmur, “Well…”

Her eyes snapped up to his, and he gathered her close. “It is more than something as simple as marriage vows. Those can be so easily broken. What we have, my darling, thanks to you is something that cannot be so easily torn asunder. I will never look at another in desire, for none can compare to you. Lying to you would be pointless as I would never do anything to jeopardize your opinion of me. While I can't say with certainty we won't have disagreements or arguments in the future, I know without a doubt when we do we will solve them together with understanding and compromise. This bond between us will grow, and our love shall be everlasting. I can't call it _marriage._ It is not something so simple as marriage. But yes, for ease of understanding, you are the equivalent of my wife by Asgardian standards.”

She rested against his heart, comfortable in her nudity, while the heart stone continued to relay her emotions. She was quiet, but such happiness lived inside her, he was surprised it didn't just bubble out.

When she did finally lift her head, she smiled for him, a look of such radiance it was blinding. “Guess it's a good thing my dress is white if this is my Asgardian weddin’ day.”

He chuckled, relieved she was not unhappy with this unexpected turn of events. Honestly, he'd thought it would take weeks for the final stage to be completed. He should have known better than to underestimate his _Ástvinur._ Still, he collected her left hand and brought her knuckles to his lips. “I will ask you properly one day to marry me in the Midgardian fashion as well, my sweet. But as you've insisted a weekend is not enough time for a proposal… I shall wait.”

“Oh, but I-”

He pressed his finger to her lips. “Now, darling, you are absolutely correct. Three days is much too soon,” he said, his grin coy. “We should give it at least a week.”

She giggled, parted her lips and sucked the tip of his finger into her mouth.

“Pet,” he warned softly, “the time grows short, or I would be most inclined to succumb to your whiles. Dress. I will await your company on the balcony.”

“You’re not stayin’?” She quirked a curious brow.

“Oh, my heart.” He cupped her face and used his magic to return her makeup to her former glory. “When I remove that dress from you later, I wish to be surprised. After all,” he leaned closer and pressed his lips to her ear, “this is my wedding night, too.”

He stepped reluctantly away and shifted himself magically to the balcony railing where he watched the sun set in a blaze of colours. If his heart pounded and legs shook, and he had to tighten his grip on the wood to keep from falling to his knees, he didn’t hold it against himself. It was not every day one found their heart filled with hope and joy to the point of overflowing.

Where once he had looked toward his future and seen only darkness, now he looked toward it and saw his heart’s desire. He actually saw a future. A future filled with love, light, and laughter. Children. Family.

Every day would be a new start, a fresh start, and a life he would be proud to live. A life and a love he would defend to his last breath because no one, ever, would be allowed to take it from him.

The wood beneath his fingers cracked with the strength of his grip when the shiver of foreboding raced his spine. Across the expanse of lawn, in the tops of a stand of trees, a murder of crows called to each other. It was an omen Loki would pay head to, for it was a warning… from Odin. If even the All-father could sense the impending conflict, Loki would be doubly on guard.

A storm was brewing in the air around this house, one not even Thor would be able to control, and when it broke, Loki had the distinct feeling someone’s blood would mix with the rain to soak into the ground.

* * *

*Lady Fair by Francis Ledwidge


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: none

 

* * *

Lauren’s gaze remained on the empty place Loki had once occupied for a few long heartbeats before she finally managed to make her body work again. She shook. Not from fear, but from relief. Though she’d only learned of the bond growing between herself and Loki hours ago, the niggling concern she’d be unable to fulfill the final step when, really, she had no idea how she’d managed the first four, had left her doubting herself.

What if she messed up? What if she never figured out what the magical secret was? What if she failed and Loki never found peace?

She realized now what a stupid thought that had been. It hadn’t been something she had to do, but something she needed to accept. In that single moment of blinding clarity when he’d held her against him, and she’d let go, surrendered to him completely, it had been so clear. There was nowhere in the world she wanted to be more than with him, at his side, forever.

Everything she’d told Sadie, the incredible fairytale romance which she’d somehow become the leading lady in had led her to one realization. She could be happy, whatever came, whatever the future held, as long as she was with Loki. With that thought, she’d fully committed.

On shaky legs, she turned to face the mirror and lifted a trembling hand to her throat. The green stone was incredible. She’d never seen anything like it, not that that surprised her. It flickered with inner fire and was warm to the touch. Such a soothing warmth. It gave her the same feeling of comfort being in Loki’s arms did.

The serpents were beautiful. So realistic, they looked as if the could come alive and bite with those wickedly sharp fangs. Tiny black gems for eyes glittered, and though the torque was gold, it was a multitude of tones. Everything from the shiniest, brightest gold, gleaming like the sun, to the deepest of antique. There were even hints of green and rose glinting from the scales. It was the most exquisitely detailed piece of jewelry she had ever seen.

It was nearly impossible to drag her eyes from it, but she knew she had to. There was a party to oversee and two gods of Asgard to keep an eye on. Plus whatever mischief Loki had gotten up to in the ballroom.

She couldn’t imagine anything needing to be changed, not with how refined his tastes were, but… it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.

The box Sadie mentioned was small and flat, and Lauren lifted off the lid to reveal pink tissue paper. From inside, she pulled out an off-white silk teddy which was, to her mind, not much better than no underwear at all, but - her thoughts turned to later that night and Loki’s face when the dress fell to reveal… this.

Oh, yes. She would definitely wear the teddy.

It was exceptionally low cut in the back, but with her dress, it was a necessity. The silk was seamless, contouring to her body as Lauren drew it up. She slipped her arms through the holes, noting the deep cut to the sides and minor boning in the front which lent support to her breasts.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and had to smirk a little. Loki would swallow his tongue when he saw her. At least, she hoped he would. He left her breathless so often, she’d really like to return the favour.

Her dress was hanging on the back of the door, looking elegant and beautiful, and when she touched it, a shiver of pleasure snaked its way through her body. The party had suddenly become even more important to her.

If this were her, for lack of a better term, Asgardian binding day, she would cherish every minute of it. Nothing would spoil tonight. Not her mother or her sisters. Not anything.

She slipped the dress on carefully and smoothed it out. Yes, Sadie was a damn genius, but Loki’s addition of the golden chain across her shoulders and down her spine had also been brilliant.

Tonight she felt regal. She felt like the absolute belle of the ball. When she looked into the mirror again, she wondered at the glow which seemed to radiate from within. Was it her happiness which made her seem so? Or was it something more? She’d have to ask Loki to know for sure.

She quietly opened the door to see Sadie tugging up the side zipper on a strapless sequined red dress that fell only to mid-thigh, showing off her incredible legs and the sky-high white pumps with the sparkle-encrusted heels.

“Wow, Sadie!” Lauren gasped.

“I know right?” she giggled, reaching for the bracelet of diamonds and rubies Marcus had given her as a wedding gift.

Lauren remembered it vividly as she’d helped him pick it out, managed to haggle him a deal and keep him from buying anything gaudy. The tennis bracelet had been a perfect fit for both budget and bride.

Sadie turned to seek assistance, only to have the item slide through her fingers to the floor. “Oh, my god… oh… oh, my god! Is that… did you… how? Y’all were gone all of ten minutes!”

Lauren laughed even as her eyes watered and waved a hand at her face to keep the tears at bay. “I know!”

“Okay, okay, okay.” Sadie fanned her own face. “No cryin’. Neither of us can afford blotchy faces, but what the hell happened?”

Lauren shook her head. “I can’t, or I’ll cry. Just,” she hurried across the room and hugged her friend, “I want you to know him much you mean to me Sadie. Talkin’ about all that’s happened, gettin’ it out, helped put things in perspective.”

“Oh, dang it all, Lu! Why’d you have to go and say that?” Sadie sniffled.

“Because, Sadie, you’re my best friend, and I love you with every bit of my heart.” Lauren held her close as both grew teary-eyed and sniffled.

“Okay! Enough of bein’ sappy old women.” She pushed Lauren back. “My goodness though, Lu. You look like someone lit a firework inside you. You just sparkle!”

Lauren blushed as she crouched to pick up Sadie’s bracelet. “You’re the one who sparkles. Look at that dress.”

Sadie ran her hands down her side. “Well, I bought it before I found out about the baby and figured if it still fit, I was gonna wear it.”

“You look great, really.”

A pout replaced Sadie’s smile. “I’m kinda annoyed.” She turned sideways in the mirror. “No bump.”

“Give it time,” Lauren snickered as she clipped Sadie’s bracelet around her wrist. “I’m sure you’ll be complainin’ about too much bump in no time.”

“I suppose you’re right about that.” Sadie snickered and hurried over to the garment bag, hung up on the inside of Lauren’s closet door. “Now, I know we talked about shoes when y’all were at the store, but after Loki added his embellishments, I thought maybe these might be better.”

Lauren gasped when Sadie turned with the stunning gold shoes in hand. “Sadie! They’re gorgeous! But how?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “A few years back someone,” she rolled her eyes, “insisted she just had to have the gold weddin’ shoe from the Dolce and Gabbana line.” She crouched to set the heavily embellished shoe on the ground in front of Lauren. “Took me ages to finally get them in, and once I did _she who shall not be named_ , lil’ miss prissy pants, decided they were too gaudy for her taste. More like her mama saw the price tag and threw a fit. They’ve been sittin’ in my stockroom takin’ up space ever since.”

“Did you at least keep her deposit?” Lauren asked as she lifted her dress and stepped into the first pump, knowing damn well Sadie was talking about Georgia Dalton.

“Damn right I did. The entire thirty percent and when she bitched about it, I explained, ever so nicely, that her thirty percent was to cover the cost of the shoes sittin’ in my stockroom cause no one else in their right mind would ever pay that kind of price for a pair of shoes.” Sadie fit the second shoe to Lauren’s foot and got back to her fee. “Well, except maybe your mama or Cissy.”

Lauren rotated her foot back and forth, watching the dark gold gleam. “You sure you ain’t gonna catch hell for this?” she asked softly.

“They’ve been collectin’ dust for four long years. It’s time someone wore them, and you just happen to have the same size feet as her, unlike me, or I would have worn them years ago.”

Lauren let go of her dress, sending the hem fluttering to the floor and took a final look at the two of them in the mirror. She ran her hands over the middle of her dress and tried not to bite her lip.

“Lu,” Sadie took her hand, “you look amazin’. No, more than that. You look like a princess like you belong on Loki’s arm. Tonight, no matter what anyone says, you hold your chin up, you stand tall, and you remember the fact that only you were special enough to earn the love of a god.”

“It’s like goin’ to war every time we do this,” Lauren whispered, clenching her shaking fist against her stomach.

“Yeah, Lu. I know, but this time you have two Avengers standin’ at your back. Remember who your friends are. Remember where your real family is at.” Sadie hugged her tight and tugged her toward the balcony doors. “Time to knock the socks off the men!”

Lauren breathed deep and pushed open the door only to have her heart stutter. “Loki.”

He’d changed his attire to that of a formal suit and looked like he’d stepped from the pages of a magazine. Not quite black, the three-piece suit was a dark grey with a sheen to it, the vest buttoned over a crisp white shirt. His tie had threads of gold worked into it which, on closer inspection, mimicked the serpentine pattern her pendant had once held. The pocket square tucket up by his lapel was of the same fabric, and Lauren smiled.

“You look wonderful!” she sighed, taking his offered hands when he made his way over.

“No, my darling. It is you who looks amazing. So radiant. You glow, my heart.” He kissed her cheek before holding her hands out to send an appreciative gaze over her. “Sadie dear, you have my thanks.”

Sadie blushed when Loki bowed to her. “Oh, well, Lu makes it easy. What can I say.”

***

But Loki wasn’t just speaking of the dress, or the hair, or Lauren’s shoes. He was talking about all of it. Every word which had passed the woman’s lips in these last few minutes had been spoken to lift his Lauren up. To raise her from the quagmire of despair and uncertainty her family had tried continuously to drown her in.

Sadie was a true friend, a real sister to his Lauren. In no way would Loki ever be able to repay the petite brunette for all she’d done to continue to bolster Lauren when her spirits flagged.

“Shall we?” he said instead, waving his hand and opening a portal.

“Oh, but Sadie is…” Lauren looked at her friend.

“With child. I am aware. She will be fine, darling.” He held out his hand to the woman practically bouncing on her tall shoes.

“I have no idea how you know that, but I don’t care! I’m so in!” Sadie squealed and gripped his hand tightly.

Loki chuckled. Her enthusiasm was charming. “Let us start with the garden.”

“Garden?” Lauren asked as she stepped through on his arm.

“Oh! That’s a bit of a head rush, ain’t it?” Sadie giggled as they arrived at the edge of the garden.

“It takes getting used to,” Loki said, nodding to Thor who was waiting for them. He cast a critical eye over his brother who had managed to shift his own attire to something resembling formal wear. “One would think you had learned something of fashion from all the parties Stark throws.” He flicked his fingers and corrected things, so Thor no longer looked as if he’d purchased an ill-fitting suit off the rack.

“I’m not even sure why I packed a suitcase at this point,” Lauren snickered.

Thor, meanwhile, had zeroed in on the torque gleaming with the low light of evening.

“My bonded _Ástvinur_ , brother,” Loki smiled proudly.

“Lauren,” Thor whispered, voice hoarse before he walked forward and dropped to a knee at her feet, took up her hand and brought it to his forehead. “I can’t express… you have given me… _thank you_.”

She gently cupped his cheek, her eyes shining with hard-fought tears. “Please don’t. I can’t keep fixin’ my makeup.”

He chuckled and lurched to his feet to sweep her up in a hug that lifted Lauren into the air. “My sister! You have done it, my sister!” he bellowed, laughing his big booming laugh as he swung them around in a circle.

“Please don’t break my wife,” Loki muttered, arching a brow at his brother.

“Wife!?” Sadie squeaked, her eyes growing round.

“By Asgardian standards, yes. Though we have yet to wed by Midgard law, for all express purposes Lauren is most certainly my wife.” Loki held out his hand to draw her back to his side when Thor released her, only to be grabbed himself and pounded heartily on the back.

“Then you should give it to her,” his brother insisted once he’d let Loki go, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring sternly.

“You know how she feels about that,” Loki huffed.

“What?” Lauren asked.

“She already wears mother’s bracers. You know Frigga would have wanted her to have it,” Thor argued.

“Have what?” Lauren asked.

“But she has no desire to be put in that position,” Loki countered, glaring at Thor.

“Hey!” Lauren smacked Loki in the chest. “Standin’ right here! Stop talkin’ over me like I’m not!”

“Forgive me, darling.” Loki sighed, continuing to glare at Thor whom he was certain was about to get him in trouble. “My brother is referring to this.” He turned his hand over, allowing the circlet of delicately worked gold and precious white stones to appear in his palm.

“Oh!” she gasped and recoiled slightly. “Is that… what I think it is?”

“It was our mother’s. The one she wore most often for daily summons and court appearances,” Thor explained, his eyes bright with excitement.

“Oh, but I…” Lauren trailed off when she looked at Sadie.

“You’ll never know until you try, Lulu,” Sadie encouraged.

She took a deep breath, and Loki held his. Would she accept? Dare she? It was a huge step but, as he’d continuously been telling her, the people of Asgard would love her as their princess.

“Maybe… maybe I could… try it on?” she said, a nervous flush adding pink to her cheeks.

Loki somehow managed to keep his features schooled as he murmured, “You certainly should.” He took the circlet, far stronger than its delicate appearance belied, much like Lauren herself, and placed it down over her brow. It was barely the width of his thumb. Refined. Elegant. Exquisite against the softness of her skin.

“Oh, Lauren,” Sadie sighed, her hand going to her mouth as her eyes watered. “I feel like I should curtsey and call you, your highness!”

Lauren’s eyes grew very round. “No! Don’t be doin’ that, Sadie.” She reached up to take it off, but Loki captured her hands.

“You look lovely, my heart.” A wisp of magic rose to slide the circlet beneath the top layer of her hair, leaving only the band across her forehead visible. “There. It is not so noticeable, but it makes me happy to know you wear it.”

Her cheeks were quite red, and she trembled slightly prompting Loki to send a glance Thor’s way.

“Lady Sadie.” Thor smiled at the woman. “Why don’t you and I take a turn around the garden?” Though it was voiced as a question, he didn’t allow the woman to deny him, simply swept her arm into his and started away.

Loki brought Lauren’s hands to his chest and set them there before gently cupping her cheeks. “What’s wrong, _elskan min_?”

“It’s just… a lot to get used to. I’m not sure about this whole… princess thing.”

“I know, darling.” He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks. “It is only a pretty piece of jewelry. I can remove it if you wish?”

She sighed. “Thor’s really pushy, ain’t he?”

“That he is,” Loki chuckled softly.

“Sadie said I should try it, that maybe I’d like it if I gave it a chance.”

“Your friend is quite smart.”

“She has her moments.” A small smile curled Lauren’s lips.

“What’s really bothering you, love?”

“Mama’s parties give me anxiety,” she sighed, stepping into him and sliding her hands up his chest to wrap behind his neck as his went around her. She rested her cheek against him. “You didn’t hear what she said earlier, did you?”

“When your father intervened?” She nodded. “No. Why? What did she say?”

“Nothin’. It’s not relevant anymore.” She settled further into him.

Loki couldn’t help but let his hands dip into the edges of her dress, caressing her bare back. “Now I am quite curious. What did she say?”

“Promise me you won’t freak out?”

His hand drifted up her back to the nape of her neck where the tails of the serpents twined together creating the clasp of her torque. “I promise.” It was an easy one to make, knowing she was forever more his.

“She said I shouldn’t be wastin’ my time bein’ a princess when I could be queen.”

“What!” he snarled.

She gave his hair a tug. “You promised.”

He calmed instantly. “Apologies. I was understandably surprised, though, why it still surprises me when people prefer Thor is a mystery. They always prefer Thor.”

“Not me,” she whispered, lifting her head to look at him. “I never have. It’s always been you, Loki.”

“ _Elskan min_ ,” he growled softly and ducked his head to kiss her lush red lips. He could feel the love swell in her heart, so much stronger now with the jewel pulsing at her throat. Loki slipped his fingers beneath her hair and cupped the base of her skull, holding her tight to him with a firmly splayed hand on the bare skin of her lower back.

He licked her lip and slipped between them to flick his tongue over the tip of hers, press and stroke them together, and when she whimpered that soft, sweet mewl of desire he was coming to know so well, he tilted his head, sealed their mouths together and moaned.

His magic spiralled with it, trickling down to fill her with his power. While she couldn’t use it, it wasn’t about to flow out of her like it had a few days ago in the helicopter. This time it remained, humming inside her, and when he lifted his head to look down at her, her lashes fluttered open to reveal emerald eyes which glimmered with the green of his magic. Gold flecks sparkled in the depths, and she was, quite simply, the most gorgeous creature he’d ever laid eyes on.

“Your beauty knows no end tonight, my heart.” He’d thoroughly wrecked her lipstick, though, and ran his thumb over her lips to fix it before swiping his hand over his mouth to remove what had transferred. While he’d enjoyed the red painted on her lush mouth, he preferred the glossy texture she regularly employed and gave the red a high sheen. Now, they looked like the skin of a ripe apple waiting to be bitten.

“Thank you, peaches.” She straightened his tie, pausing when her gaze landed on the cuffs around her wrists. “Were these really Frigga’s?”

“They were. There were a few key pieces she’d always said would be mine one day. Mine for my _Ástvinur_ should I desire them.” He turned and tucked her arm into the crook of his elbow. “I took them to be petty when I left Asgard. They were mine by right. Left to me by Frigga. Though we were on poor terms when she passed, I do not believe she would have ever struck that wish from her heart. And I wanted them,” he shrugged, “a piece of her to keep close. The comb from earlier was also hers.” It had been laying on Lauren’s dresser, and he’d quickly put it away, not daring to leave it out where Cissy’s sticky fingers could find it.

“I thought them regal before. Now that I know they were hers, I’ll cherish them,” she said, touching one gently.

“We shared a special bond, Frigga and I because of seiðr, the type of magic we do. I know she would have loved you quite fiercely had she lived and shown you off proudly.” She blushed, as he’d expected, making him chuckle as they rounded the first hedgerow.

Lauren gasped staring at the image before her. “Loki… what… how?”

He smiled proudly. “Mother has been on my mind much lately. This is my tribute to her.” He swept his hand out, setting thousands of lights ablaze around the twisting knots of the rose garden. Flowers burst into bloom, filling the air with their fragrance as red and white and deep ocean blue unfurled around them. But in the very center of the intricate paths and raised beds, stood a pool of sparkling blue water toward which he led a speechless Lauren.

“Oh, my gosh, Lauren!” Sadie cried, jumping up and down beside Thor. “Y’all have got to see this!”

Lauren was staring at the tree rising from the water. At the flowers dripping from its branches. The _Fortryllende_ was in full bloom, tall and stately, but it wasn’t the tree Sadie was enthralled with, unaware of its importance.

“Loki… that’s the flower you made for Gran.” Tears sparkled on her lashes.

“It is. Odin’s gift to Frigga. A fitting addition to tonight, seeing as my intended is now my bonded. I will have to give Father a hard time. It certainly didn’t take me one-hundred days to entice my chosen to me.” He snickered, and Thor chuckled. “But I believe Sadie is referring to the creatures swimming among the roots, not the tree itself.”

He led Lauren to the water’s edge. “Look, darling.” Loki crouched and dangled his fingers in the water, calling one closer. It curled its way around his wrist to climb up and sit, wet and dripping, on the back of his hand.

“Oh, my stars!” Lauren squeaked as she crouched down beside him, Sadie and Thor looking on. “It’s a little dragon!”

Loki chuckled and shook his head. “It is a _Voktere_. They are the keepers of _Fortryllende_ trees, tending the roots and seeing them free of pests and disease. When Odin created the flowers, and in turn the trees, these flocked to them in droves.” He pet the small head of the dragon-like creature. Scaled and reptilian, they had long sinuous bodies, came in a variety of jewel tones and had tails similar to fancy fish with large flowing fins.

When Lauren reached out tentatively, Loki shook his head while urging the creature off his hand. “I am afraid these are all illusion, my darling. One day I will take you to the _Fortryllende_ tree in Frigga’s actual garden and introduce you to the _Voktere_ for real.” He showed her his hand, free of water.

“Loki’s illusions have increased in potency nearly one-hundred fold,” Thor said proudly. “His magic has become something to marvel at, my sister.”

“How much of this is an illusion?” Lauren asked, taking Loki’s offered hands when he rose to help her back to her feet.

“A good portion. A few strategically placed beds contain the roses for scent, but for the rest,” he ran his hand through a hedge and made it waver, “simply a pleasing façade.”

“Y’all must be a riot ‘round Halloween!” Sadie clapped excitedly.

“If one could get him to participate,” Thor nudged Loki’s shoulder.

Loki rolled his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. “It is such a trite holiday. Everything is either zombies or werewolves or vampires.” He snapped his teeth together and smiled a set of sharp fangs. “What’s so scary about this?”

Heat flared, a delicious shiver of it that raced through him from the heart stone. He snapped his gaze down to Lauren and found pink cheeks and lustful eyes staring at his mouth.

“Perhaps this year I will consider participating.” He grinned and stroke a fang with his tongue.

Lauren swallowed rather hard. “My what big teeth you have,” she whispered, her hand coming up to flutter before landing on his chest.

“I believe those were the next set of teeth over,” he chuckled wickedly, letting his eyes run to gold before returning to green.

“Damn,” Sadie sighed. “Y’all are tryin’ to kill the rest of us.” She fanned her face rapidly.

Thor chuckled and collected her hand to his elbow. “Asgardians have few reservations when it comes to worldly pleasures. We are a _sensual_ people,” he purred to Sadie.

“Thor! Cut it out!” Lauren barked. “Stop flirtin’ with my friend.”

“No, no. Keep goin’. Please,” Sadie giggled.

Lauren shook her head. “Two words, Sadie June. Marcus and baby.”

“Spoilsport,” Sadie pouted.

“You are with child?” Thor grinned big and wide. “How auspicious! A blessing on you, fair Sadie. May your son or daughter be favoured by the gods and successful in their chosen future.” With that said, he leaned down and kissed her square on the mouth.

“What in the blue blazes?”

Lauren turned to see Marcus and Lafayette come through the flower maze. “Marcus!”

Thor lifted his head with a grin. “Ah! The father-to-be!” He set Sadie away from him, made sure she was stable, and practically bounced across the space to take Marcus by the shoulders. “Congratulations, my friend! You and your lovely wife will have a child blessed by Thor!”

It was as Thor was pounding the life out of Marcus in a bone-crushing hug that Lauren turned to Loki. “Huh?” she asked, gesturing between Sadie and Marcus.

Loki gave a long-suffering sigh. “While God of Thunder is his preferred title, Thor is also the God of Fertility.”

Her mouth fell open. “What?”

“There were a few centuries when Father was ready to rip his hair out because of Thor’s appeal to women.” Loki snickered.

“So… the way he handled mama and Marabeth?”

“It’s a gift.”

“And this?” She motioned toward Sadie.

“Exactly what he said it was. He’s blessed her and their child.”

Lauren snorted in obvious amusement, turning her face into his chest. “Does that mean Sadie’s baby is goin’ to be better behaved, or just like Thor is?”

“You know,” Loki bit back a chuckle, “I have no idea. I’ve never been interested enough to find out how a blessing goes.”

“Maybe… maybe we should see how this one goes… before we let him bless any of ours?” she whispered, glancing up at him and biting her lip.

The intense surge of desire which raced through him with that question was strong enough to knock down a mountain, but he contained it, just barely, to bend close to her ear and murmur, “Or, we keep going until he gets it right.”

She jerked back to glare at him. “Just how many babies you think I’m gonna be havin’?”

“As many or as few as you want, my heart.” He skimmed his fingers up her spine, setting the slim chains swinging sensually against her back. “Whatever makes you happy, darling.” She sighed, a smile pulling at her lips when she rested her head against his heart.

Over her head, however, he levelled a hard look at Lafayette who seemed unable to pull his eyes from Lauren’s bare back. He stood next to Thor, mouth agape, while his brother thoroughly disconcerted Sadie’s husband.

“Come, darling. I will show you the rest before more guests arrive.” Loki dropped his hand to lay possessively against her lower back. “Brother, you have quite made your point. Let us continue on while the lady Sadie and her husband catch up.”

“Right, right.” Thor gripped Marcus’s shoulders tightly. “A virile male! It is good!” He slapped the man’s arms heartily, turned and made his way toward them, offering the still stunned Sadie a short bow. “Until later.”

“Huh? Yeah. Dance.” Sadie nodded.

They were nearly back to the terrace, out of earshot of the three they’d left behind when Lauren burst out laughing. “I think that’s the first time in years I’ve seen Sadie tongue-tied!” Though she laughed, her eyes were in constant motion and full of excitement, lighting up in wonder or awe when her gaze alighted on something new which pleased her.

Her happiness simply bubbled out of her.

“It is so rare I meet a woman in the first blush of her pregnancy. It puts a pep in one’s step!” Thor chuckled. “Perhaps I am overzealous, but new life should be celebrated. Too often all we see is death and the aftermath of destruction. It is good to see the renewal as well.”

Lauren came to a stop and turned toward Thor where she pressed up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Y’all are just a big softy.”

“Complete with a gooey center,” Loki agreed.

“The same one that lies beneath your hard shell,” Lauren quipped, picking up her dress in the front to take the terrace stairs.

Loki took her free hand, ignoring the comment, while Thor cupped her elbow to assist her up the stairs. “There is still time to change anything you dislike,” he assured Lauren, trying not to fidget. Thor threw him a look which clearly said he was being stupid, but he couldn’t help the small niggling feeling that she would hate it.

“If it’s anythin’ like the garden? What wouldn’t I… like… oh, _Loki_!” she gasped, staring open-mouthed at her surroundings. Her hand left his as she walked further into the room to tilt her head back and stare at the ceiling. “How?” she asked.

He tucked his hands into his pockets and looked up with her. “There’s a cave on Vanaheim. The ceiling is made of such crystal.” The five chandeliers had been replaced by three large stalactites, a multitude of smaller crystals filing in space around them. Thor’s lightning was caught in the center crystal but had jumped to both outer ones as well, creating a soft glow over the room, forming shadows on the walls and floor with the cloudy nature of the smoky crystal.

The light from the windows was beginning to fade, and as it did, the blue sparks he’d set in the sheers became more apparent, floating much like the fireflies had. Lauren’s hand shook where it hovered over her lips as she took in the floor and the forest of trees along the walls.

There was a band setting up in the corner near the rear of the room, and Loki urged Lauren toward the side rooms. “Thor thought a taste of home wouldn’t be out of place tonight.”

She said nothing as she stepped into the first room, dark but for flickering candles and twinkling sky. Sue Ann was puttering, but she only looked up, grinned at Loki, smiled appreciatively at Lauren, and went back to arranging the food.

As he led Lauren away, Thor remained behind. The sound of fingers getting smacked made Loki smirk, but Lauren’s silence was beginning to concern him.

In the next room with the blue-lit bar and ceiling full of vines, she inhaled sharply as she made her way toward the man at the back who swiftly poured her a glass of wine, evidently aware of her preferences.

“Thanks, Mike,” she whispered hoarsely.

“The place looks incredible, miss Lauren. I was mighty impressed. Knew it had to be your doin’.” The man nodded at her and smiled.

“His doin’,” she said pointing at Loki after downing a healthy swallow of wine.

Loki gave a slight shrug and took her hand to lead her to the final room.

There, beneath the branches laden with flowers, under twinkling lights, and reflected by mirrors, she set her glass on a table and burst into tears.

His heart stopped. “No! No, no!” Loki leapt forward to drag her into his arms. “You can’t cry! I’ll fix it! I’ll fix everything! Just tell me what I did wrong?”

“Nothin’!” she sobbed, sliding her arms up to wrap them around his neck.

His heart kicked hard and restarted. “Then why are you crying, love?”

“Because!”

He wanted to laugh, she was so damn adorable but fought it back. “That is not really an answer.”

“It’s p-perfect!” she wailed.

“Then you should be happy, my heart, not soaking me in your tears.”

“You don’t,” she gasped, “understand!”

He stroked her back and shifted them over until he could urge her into a chair and sat with their knees touching. With a flick of his wrist, he produced a square of linen and gently wiped her face. “Help me understand.”

She took the linen to mop her wet cheeks, breathed out a shaky breath, and wiped her nose. “These parties, they’re… they’re like goin’ into battle. No matter how hard I’d try, somehow I’d always fail. Never good enough, that was me. But this,” she looked up at the ceiling, black tracking her cheeks from her makeup, “this is like a fairytale come true. Like walkin’ into another world. I’ve never seen… anythin’ so, so magical.”

Her chin wobbled, and Loki reached out to cup her cheek. “You, my sweet, kind, precious, Lauren have never been a failure. You excel at everything you try your hand at. If your mother or your sisters claimed you were a failure it was out of jealousy or spite. I am certain even tonight they will find something of fault for that is how they are, but it is not you who is the problem. It is them. It always has, and will always be them.”

“It’s easy to hear and easy to say, but harder to believe,” she sighed, leaning into his touch.

“I know. I know, darling.” He pulled her closer and let his forehead rest against hers. “I can only tell you, you are not responsible for them. You are not responsible for their happiness. You are not at fault for their misery. The only one you are responsible for making happy is you.”

“Loki.” She threaded her fingers through his hair while clutching the cloth in her lap.

“And me. I will always strive toward making you happy.”

A fresh tear trickled down her cheek as she shifted from her chair to his lap. “You make me… _so happy_ ,” she whispered hoarsely.

He stole the handkerchief back to catch the fresh tears. “That’s good, my sweet, but your tears hurt my heart, even the happy ones. Your eyes should never be wet.” Of course saying so caused a fresh flood of tears to fall from her eyes.

“I love you, Loki. I love you,” she said softly, her hands clinging to his neck.

“I know, pet, as I love you.” He wiped her tears and kissed her, gentle brushes of soft lips tasting of salt but not sorrow, until they slowed to a stop. “No more tears. Not tonight. Tonight, though it is known only to a few, we celebrate our binding.” He touched her torque lightly then encouraged her to her feet where he cupped her face as she grasped his wrists.

Green eyes, now red-rimmed, would not stay so. Neither would her makeup smeared face, but he held her there, remembering this moment, memorizing it, for he vowed silently to never see such pain track across her features again. “You must remember, Lauren, no matter what comes, you are no longer alone. You have me, your _Ástvinur_ , standing proudly at your side. You have the King of Asgard at your elbow, and you have a terrific friend in your Sadie. She is a fierce thing for one so small.”

She giggled at that and breathed in deeply to stave off fresh tears. “She’s like a stick of dynamite. A big explosion in a small package.”

Loki chuckled. “That she is.”

“Alright. Let’s fix me up before anyone sees the mess I’ve made of myself.” She frowned at his shoulder. “And you. I smeared makeup on your collar.”

“An easy fix, darling.” Magic rippled, quickly there and gone, setting them both to rights and vanishing the soiled handkerchief. “There. No one shall be the wiser.” He stepped back to take a long look at her and slowly shook his head in amazement. “You are striking, my heart. A Goddess among men this eve. Come,” he held out his elbow for her, “I am quite desperate to show you off.”

Another giggle escaped her, lifting his heart from the pit it had been wallowing in with her upset. The bright blush he loved adorned her cheeks. Her hand closed lightly around his arm, she retrieved her glass, and he led her from the mirrored room at a pace which showcased her grace.

Hoyt and Magnolia were standing just inside the doors which led to the interior of the house, their mouths agape when he and Lauren appeared.

“Lauren!” Magnolia gasped. “Just look! I can’t believe it.”

“Isn’t it pretty, mama?” Lauren smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Why, I never! How do y’all think Quinn managed it?”

“She didn’t,” Loki snapped. “That wretched woman was making a mockery of things. Hideous, ghastly decorations. Then, when Lauren stepped in to put things to rights, requesting things be changed, she quit! The audacity of it. And the way she spoke to your daughter?” Loki scoffed, “Why, I can assure you she would no longer be in business had she treated Lauren with such disrespect in New York.”

“Loki, it’s fine, peaches.” She patted his arm.

“It most assuredly is not,” he muttered, but gave a long sigh and relented. “After, I humbly offered my services to my love to assist with the disaster left behind. Lauren throws such elegant soirees for Stark. It would have been such a shame to see her reputation sullied by someone else’s misdeeds.” He smiled pleasantly, though it was a touch sharp, having rocked her parents back on their heels.

While he’d noted most of the men were dressed as he was, a dark suit with a red or white accent, Hoyt had forgone the red for blue.

It made Loki wonder just how pissed off it had made Magnolia. She was eyeing Lauren’s outfit rather sharply. While the white dress was likely above reproach, all her gold accents were out of place in Magnolia’s _theme_.

A theme she’d taken to heart. Her off the shoulder red dress had a heart-shaped neckline and high waisted tulle skirt which flowed to the floor in a simple bell shape. Her elbow length white gloves, necklace and earrings of chunky diamonds, and high swept hair were, to his mind, overdone.

While Magnolia floundered to find words, Hoyt stepped forward and held out his hand. “I thank you kindly for your help, Loki. This is…” Hoyt motioned to the room, “I’ve never seen anythin’ like it.”

Loki grasped the hand and nodded his head. “Much of it is an illusion and will return to what it once was after the party. I may have gone… slightly overboard but it was to assist my radiant _Ástvinur_ , so how could I not.”

Hoyt smiled at Lauren before leaning down to kiss her cheek. “You’re gonna be the star of the party tonight, little girl. You glow in that dress. You make sure and save your daddy a dance, you hear?”

“I’ll save him two,” Lauren said, her smile brighter than the diamonds on her mother when she pressed up to return his kiss.

“Your mother and I are gonna start greetin’ guests.” He nodded to the two of them, gripped Magnolia’s arm firmly, and hustled her away before she could speak.

“Oh, my,” Lauren snickered and sipped her wine. “Mama appears to be at a loss for words. I think that’s a first.”

“Should I put in my request for my dances now?” Loki teased, taking her in his arms. “After all, you’ve promised your father and Thor, and with how stunning you look, there will be men lined up waiting to snatch you away. I’m afraid I am feeling rather uninclined to share, darling.”

She laughed, and the sound was musical, seeming to rise up and echo amongst the crystals on the ceiling. “And what of you? Looking so dapper and handsome,” she pouted prettily. “It’s not as if you have a ring on your finger to ward off all the hussy’s who’ll be tryin’ to steal you from me for a dance.”

A flash of green surrounded his left hand. “You mean like this, my heart?” He smirked wickedly when he held his hand up and ran his thumb over the gold band wrapped in runes.

“You’re so bad,” she snickered. “They’ll all think I married in secret.”

He pulled her closer and breathed wantonly against her ear, “Didn’t you?”

“Ugh, must you, Lauren?” Marabeth muttered.

Loki looked up to glare her way when Lauren stiffened. It wasn’t something her sister would have noticed, but he’d felt the tension return to Lauren’s body. “No Samuel this evening?” he asked, knowing it was nasty and not caring.

“He’ll be arriving late!” Marabeth snapped, marching off with Quinn dogging her heels. At one point she stepped on Marabeth’s dress causing the woman to stop short and glare at Quinn.

“Do you think she knows how incredibly… _wide_ that dress makes her ass appear?” he asked, Lauren.

“Loki!” she scolded, trying not to laugh.

“I am only saying, my heart, that the cut is not as flattering as it could be. Add in that enormous bow, and the garish colour, and I’m afraid she is having a ‘what not to wear’ moment.” The ball was meant to be red and white, not red edging into orange which did absolutely nothing for Marabeth’s complexion. “I’m going to assume she chose it herself. I can’t see Sadie making such an error even if she does dislike your sister.” He stroked his hands down her arms. “Not when she did such an exquisite job picking this for you.”

The click of heels drew his attention as Cissy passed without acknowledging either of them.

“Huh,” Loki grunted as she went by.

“What?” Lauren asked.

“She reminds me of a red Big Bird.”

Lauren barked out a laugh before biting her lip to contain it. “Just how much TV do you watch?”

He shrugged. “Midgardian daytime television is both fascinating and mind-numbing, but it alleviated the boredom I suffered when I was first here. Still, you cannot tell me she does not bear a striking similarity to the large yellow fowl creature on that children’s show. Either that or she forgot half her dress.”

The corset bodice, though it looked much like something which should be worn beneath one’s clothing, was heavily patterned in cut crystals, while the skirt was created of red and black feathers and fell to just above her knees.

“Remind me to introduce you to some better TV when we get back to the tower,” Lauren snickered softly, waving at Sadie as she and her husband made their way toward them.

Loki’s eye was caught by the visage of his brother, head and shoulders taller than the majority of the people, making his way through the growing crowd. There was a distinct scowl on his face, and when their gazes locked, Thor stopped and motioned toward the doors.

“Excuse me, my heart. It appears Thor needs me a moment.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek and slipped away from her side as Sadie arrived. “I’ll be back shortly,” he assured them as he passed, making his way swiftly toward Thor.

“Brother?”

Thor tilted his head toward the door. “Listen.”

Loki frowned but turned his hearing toward the door. His eyes snapped up to the lights coming nearer and immediately snarled something, not for polite company, in the old tongue. “I thought you told them to stay away?”

“I did!” Thor huffed. “What do you want to do? We could make them leave.”

“I could drop them through a portal,” Loki snarled stalking toward the door. People cleared from his path with a swiftness he’d only ever seen Barnes achieve. When they made the door and started down the terrace steps, avoiding the arriving guests who’d stopped to gawk at the incoming helicopter, Loki remembered his earlier foreboding. “There was a murder sitting in the trees tonight.”

“I saw it as well. Father sends a warning,” Thor murmured. “Do you think it was in regards to them?” He nodded toward the helicopter.

Slowly, Loki shook his head as he made his way through the garden. “Had they arrived prior to the binding finishing, I might have said yes. Now… I am not so sure.”

“So? What do you want to do?”

He looked at Thor a smiled. Wicked. Dark. Full of mischief. “Why, invite them to join us. I am certain Lauren won’t mind.”

“Loki? What are you planning?” Thor gripped his shoulder.

“Just a bit of fun, brother.”

“The last time we had _just a bit of fun_ you dressed me up as a girl!”

Loki snorted at the memory. “And look at the fun you had.” He waved a hand, erecting a barrier which protected them from the downdraft of the landing helicopter. “We ate. You drank an ocean’s worth of ale. It was fun!”

“The drinking was fun,” Thor murmured, crossing his arms. “But if I end up in a dress again, I will kick your ass.”

“I’d like to see you try it now… _brother_ ,” he purred, knowing it would be much harder than it once was.

When the blades began to slow, Loki dismissed the shield and made his way forward as the door slid open. A slim hand was thrust from the inside, which he took without hesitation, and smiled like the cat who had eaten the canary. Things had just gotten so much more interesting.

Loki helped the woman descend to the ground and bowed over her hand. “Why, Miss Potts. How delightful of you to join us this evening.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Foul language

 

* * *

Pepper smiled as she alighted on sleek white heels and let the front of her gown drop when she leaned in and placed an air kiss on Loki’s cheek. “Loki, I hear tell you’re making trouble for our Lauren?”

“Preventing it, actually, while winning the heart of my beloved.” He took two steps back, bringing her with him and clearing the doorway while looking Pepper over. “Stunningly radiant as always.” He tilted his head in acknowledgment of her way with clothes.

The dress was a long sheath, leaving her arms bare. It started out white at the wide boatneck before darkening rapidly into a deep red from her knees to the hem floating just off the ground.

“I’m flattered you think so. I missed your opinion.”

“What in the hell does that mean?” Stark snarled as he stepped from the helicopter.

“Exactly what it sounds like. Loki has excellent taste.” Pepper patted Loki’s arm.

“Since when!” Tony demanded.

“You think I tell you everything?” she quipped.

“Evidently not,” he pouted.

Loki, though enjoying the exchange, eyed the others critically as they descended from the helicopter. Stark was dressed in his typical attire of suit coat over graphic t-shirt and jeans, his rose-tinted glasses unable to mask the hardness of his gaze.

Natasha appeared more wary, her distrust showing. Her dress was appropriate for a Stark party but was, unfortunately, not formal enough for the one getting underway at his back.

Steve looked guilty and Bucky apologetic, as they too appeared in far too casual attire.

“Pepper, darling, don’t take this the wrong way as I’m certain you must have only just returned from your trip and have no idea what’s happening, but what are you all doing here?” Loki asked, arching a brow at the others.

“Especially after I specifically asked you to stay away,” Thor added, wrapping his arm around Stark’s shoulders and giving him a tight squeeze.

“Tony!” Pepper gasped. “You said we’d been invited!”

“We were invited.” He wheezed prompting Thor to release him.

“By who?” Loki inquired, ready to shred flesh from bone.

“The Aviretts.”

“Of course you were. Evidently not recently.” Loki sighed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Natasha asked, her gaze darting toward Thor.

The look piqued Loki’s interest. Had his brother charmed the former assassin to have her looking Thor’s way with such eyes? “I mean, had your invitation come recently, or had you bothered to call and make your intentions known, we could have informed you of tonight’s dress code.”

“Oh, no.” Pepper looked down at her outfit.

“You’re taste is impeccable, Pepper dear. You have quite hit the theme dead on. The rest of you…” Loki narrowed his eyes and snapped his fingers.

Natasha’s little black dress was now a crimson red which hung from one shoulder. Fitted, it flared at her knees into sheer white tulle, falling in a multitude of pleats to the ground. The three men he placed in suits. Steve and Bucky in dark blue with satin lapels. A white shirt and blue tie for Steve. Black shirt and no tie for Bucky, knowing the soldier’s dislike for neckwear.

He chose the colour for one reason and one reason only. To irritate Magnolia.

For Stark, he matched him to Pepper in a white jacket with black lapels, black shirt and pants, and dark red tie.

They all looked immaculate, and Loki smirked, pleased with the outcome. “There. You will no longer embarrass my _Ástvinur_.”

Pepper snickered softly, her hand hiding her smile. “And that would be why I seek Loki’s opinion.” She turned on Tony. “But you have some nerve lying to me about this!”

“It wasn’t a lie!” he huffed, shooting Loki a glare. “Don’t you remember. We were at that thing, gala, event… something, and met Lauren’s sister and brother-in-law. They gave us an open invitation.”

“It was a charity fundraiser, and that’s no excuse, Tony!” She shifted her attention to Thor. “Especially after being asked not to come. Thor,” she held out her hand which he quickly collected and tucked in his elbow, “perhaps you can explain what someone has clearly failed to, so I don’t embarrass Lauren this evening.”

“It would be my pleasure, Lady Pepper.” He tilted his head and led her away into the garden where Loki could hear Pepper exclaim over the enticing view.

“Now,” Loki said calmly as he slowly clenched his fists. “Explain to me exactly what you hoped to accomplish by arriving here unannounced after Thor expressly forbade it!”

“No one forbids me from doing anything, reindeer games,” Tony snapped.

“And after Thor’s half-assed explanation, we came to make sure Lauren wasn’t being coerced into this… bond by the god of lies and deception.”

Loki glared at Natasha. “She is my _Ástvinur_. I do not lie to her, nor would I ever need to. You may understand little of loyalty and trust, Widow, but a god of Asgard remains true to his chosen in all things!”

“Hey, now.” Steve held up his hand before Natasha could retaliate. “That’s unfair and uncalled for.”

“Is it? Is it, Captain?” He rounded on Steve. “When every word from her mouth disparages the intelligence of the woman who holds my heart?”

“Excuse me!” Nat snapped.

Loki lifted his chin and looked down his nose at her. “Every time you doubt her, you are no better than the family she came from. She has a mind, an incredibly intelligent one you refuse to acknowledge every time you accuse me of tricking her. Do you think I could? Do you think her so stupid she would not see through me if I did not mean every bloody word I say? She has more heart, more love, and more compassion than this entire team combined! Yet you seem to think she is incapable of knowing her own mind!” He stepped into Natasha who backed into the wall of the helicopter. “In this, you are no better than the family I have watched try and tear her down, abuse her, and hate her for the past three days! I will allow it no longer!”

“Loki, take it easy, pal,” Bucky said, grabbing his shoulder. “I’m sorry we didn’t let you know we were comin’. There was… an issue with communication.”

“I bet,” Loki snarled, but stepped back from Natasha who looked more concerned than angry.

“We were worried.” Steve, ever the mediator, spoke into the humming silence which had fallen like the night over the group of them. “After Thor returned and explained… some of this bond stuff, we just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Loki gave a sharp bark of dismissive laughter. “Your fear for Lauren is both unfounded and insulting. I would never hurt her.”

Bucky squeezed his shoulder. “It wasn’t just Lauren we were worried about.”

He lifted his gaze to the sergeant’s, found the concern etched in blue-grey and sighed. “That, too, is unnecessary.”

“What happens if you don’t finalize the bond, Loki?” Steve asked.

“I die,” he said bluntly.

“What?” Natasha whispered.

“I’m certain that would please you, seeing how you despise me.” She looked aggrieved, but he only shrugged and turned away.

Natasha grabbed him by the arm. “Hey! I may not like you much, but I don’t want you dead!”

“How touching,” Loki sniffed.

“Look,” she snapped, jerking him around. “Clearly you have strong feelings for Lauren. I’m not blind, just stubborn. If you’re what makes her happy then who am I to get in her way, and apparently, you’re not going to do anything to fuck that up, right, magic man?”

“I would not,” he agreed.

“Then, no. I don’t want you to end up dead because that would hurt Lauren. So shut the hell up!”

“You know, your accent slips when you are outraged,” Loki snickered.

“Natalia,” Bucky growled when she opened her mouth to really lay into Loki, likely in Russian. “What can we do to help?” he asked Loki instead.

“Nothing.” Loki shrugged.

“Oh, come on!” Tony huffed and threw up his arms. “Even after all you’ve done, I don’t want to see you dead. Evidently, Pepper likes you, which… is weird but whatever.”

“There’s got to be something we can do,” Steve agreed.

“There is nothing to be done because my _Ástvinur_ completed the bond earlier today.” He grinned wickedly at all the stunned faces and walked off toward the house. “Come along. My wife will be pleased to see you.”

“ _Wife_!”

The four voices blended in perfect harmony and made him laugh. “Yes, though most are unaware of Lauren's change in status, and we are still but engaged according to your Midgardian law, Lauren and I celebrate our finalizing of the bond tonight.” He paused and looked back over his shoulder. “As you are her true family, it is fitting you should be here to join in her happiness and is the only reason I have not punted the four of you back to New York through a portal.”

“Wait a goddamn minute!” Bucky bellowed. “You bring her down her, pretending to be her boyfriend, end up her fake fiance, and finally tell her about your damn feelings only to end up married in the space of a weekend!? I’m of half a mind to kick your ass!”

“You would be in for a disappointing time if you tried it, Sergeant,” Thor growled, coming through a hedge made of illusion with Pepper on his arm.

They all gaped when the illusion simply righted itself.

“What? How?” Tony asked, dragging his fingers through the leaves.

“Finding one’s _Ástvinur_ is like receiving an upgrade. My powers have increased tenfold, and the darkness inside me that I have fought against all my life has grown silent. Lauren has granted me peace. Peace I will cherish the rest of my life.” Loki looked toward the house where her increasing unhappiness was easily felt through the heart stone.

“Don’t you mean the rest of hers?” Natasha asked.

For once there was no snap, no snark or snarl to her words, only concern and when he looked into her eyes, Loki was surprised to find pity. Did she worry about him? Fear he would be alone for the eternity of time he had thanks to his slowly ageing race. “Lauren’s acceptance as my _Ástvinur_ grants her a place at my side. She is of Asgard now and will age in the same manner as Thor or I. Fate would not be so cruel as to grant me my heart only to steal her away thanks to sickness or the mortality of human age.”

“Did she… know?” Steve asked, his eyes large with surprise.

“I have no secrets from my beloved, and the change has been good for her. Come. You will see.”

Pepper tucked her hand under his elbow and pulled him to the side of the path. “Go on,” she waved at the others. “I have something to say.”

“Of course you do, Pepper dear,” Loki chuckled, but sobered quickly when the others headed for the house, and he was left alone in the garden with the formidable Miss Potts.

“Loki.” She smiled and put his heart at ease.

He quite liked Pepper, respected her for the talented and generous woman she was. She’d been cool at first. Understandable when Loki had once nearly killed the man she loved but had warmed to him faster than the rest when he’d casually commented on her impeccable taste so many months ago. They’d bonded over, of all things, fashion and while he harboured no feelings other than affection for her, hers was a friendship he’d come to cherish.

“I’m happy for you.” She pressed up and kissed his cheek. “I know how much you adore Lauren.” He arched a speculative brow and made her laugh. “Unlike some of the others, I am not blind to the way you have always looked at her. Nor to the way she looked at you. Lauren is special. It’s past time she had someone treat her right.”

“She admires you. At times I have watched her emulate you quite well.”

Pink flushed her cheeks. “How lovely. I’m flattered.”

“You are an easy woman to admire, Miss Potts.”

The flush darkened. “I am a trifle put out to find you’ve essentially married the one woman who keeps Tony in line as well as I do. If you steal her away, I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Her threat, though teasing, was anything but hollow. “While Lauren and I will occasionally return to Asgard, her family is here. She adores her niece and nephew. I have no desire to see them parted from her.”

She nodded, seeming satisfied with his answer. “Thor said your father is thrilled. This is a big deal for you and all of Asgard.”

“Finding one’s _Ástvinur_ is rare. Finding her and completing a binding in so few days… is unheard of. She is,” again he looked to the house where her anxiety was growing, “incredibly special.”

“I want to see her,” Pepper laughed softly, “and clearly you do too if that look of longing is anything to go by.”

“She is anxious at such parties,” he said, leading Pepper toward the house.

“She’s never been so at any of ours. Well, maybe the first few, but she does such an incredible job, and it isn’t as if she put this one together.”

He glanced her way. “She was tasked with overseeing it the moment we arrived. It was a complete disaster, her mother and sisters are horrendous women, and I stepped in to create this,” he waved his hand, “to take the pressure off her. You have no idea what you are in for.”

She took the warning in stride, but what thoughts swam in her head remained a mystery to him.

Pepper cast her gaze over the straggling party guests entering through the exterior doors, or those who were currently wandering the garden paths with awe. “You know, Loki. I never took you as one who conforms to the crowd.”

“What do you mean by that, darling?”

She paused at the edge of the stairs in the shadows and gave his tie a tug. “For a God of Asgard, you are looking decidedly human tonight. I can’t imagine you haven’t dressed Lauren to the nines, or as far as she would let you, and with this being, in essence, your Asgardian wedding day, one would think you’d be less… Midgardian in appearance?” A wicked light danced in Pepper’s eyes, one of mischief and intrigue.

“Just what are you getting at, Pepper dear?”

Pepper gave a minute shrug. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen formal Asgardian attire.”

Loki grinned. “Mm, darling. That is quite naughty of you.”

“If it is, I learned from the best.” She lifted the skirt of her dress. “Think about it. After all, why would the God of Mischief ever want to blend in?”

He watched her head up the stairs to join Stark as Thor descended to join him. Steve, Bucky, and Natasha were nowhere to be seen, but surprise and happiness had burst through the heart stone so he could hazard a guess as to where they were.

“Loki?” Thor frowned. “Are you coming?”

“In a moment.”

“Why? Did Miss Potts upset you?” Hard blue eyes swung up to find her retreating form.

“Pepper has not. She has simply reminded me of something important.”

“And what would that be?” Thor asked, peering at him curiously.

The smile Loki was so well known for crawled across his lips as he turned to assess his brother. “That we, my dear brother, are not of Midgard.”

***

As soon as Loki left it was like the vultures descended.

Lauren greeted Marcus with a cheek kiss and apology. “I’m sorry about Thor.”

“I think he may have bruised a few ribs,” Marcus said, but his eyes twinkled with amusement. “He’s kinda…”

“Awesome!” Sadie snickered.

“I was gonna say intense, woman,” Marcus huffed.”Yours isn’t about to plant one on my wife, is he?”

Lauren laughed and shook her head. “That is, apparently, a Thor thing I knew nothin’ about, but congratulations, Marcus. You’re gonna make a great daddy.”

He beamed like she’d given him the greatest gift and hugged Sadie to his side. “I hear you’ve had your own bit of news, your highness.”

“Shush, you!” Lauren swatted at him, a blush burning through her cheeks. “It isn’t common knowledge yet, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Uh-oh. In comin’ Daltons,” Sadie muttered. “Marcus, be a dear and refill Lauren’s wine and get me a coke. Please.”

“Sadie June,” he warned.

She only looked at him firmly. “Brockett, just do it.”

“It’s okay, Marcus. I’ll make sure she doesn’t do nothin’ too offensive,” Lauren snickered.

“Traitor,” Sadie pouted, but it was enough to make Marcus laugh before he walked off.

“Lauren!” Maryann Dalton gushed as Lauren turned to face her. “My, oh my. Just look at this place. Y’all have outdone yourself this year. Why I didn’t know Quinn had it in her.”

“She didn’t,” Sadie scoffed.

“I’m afraid Quinn and I didn’t see eye to eye on this year’s theme. Loki created all of this,” Lauren explained, giving Sadie a warning nudge.

Georgia’s eyes widened. “Magic? This was all done with magic?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Lauren smiled, understanding her shock. “Y'all should check out the buffet. It’s like steppin’ through to Asgard.”

Bill, Maryanne’s husband, approached and Lauren forced her smile not to waiver. “Mr. Dalton.”

“Lauren. Y’all have outdone yourself this year.” His gaze raked down her body in a way that made Lauren nauseous.

She reached up and touched the jewel at her throat. “Thank you, but the credit goes to my _Ástvinur_.”

“A what now?” Georgia muttered.

“It’s _Æsir_ for beloved.” Lauren smiled.

“And you just glow tonight, too, Lauren.” Bill reached out and dragged his fingertip down her shoulder.  “All gold, and white, and shimmery like an angel.”

She pulled away in distaste, trying not to show how foul his touch felt to her. “Thank you. I was just sayin’ Georgia and Miss Maryann should head on into the buffet. It’s like walking into the halls of Asgard.”

“Is it now?” He pursed his lips. “Well, we’ll just have to wander over and see it for ourselves, won’t we girls.”

“Yes, daddy!” Georgia chirped. “Though I was hopin’ to see Loki again. Why he’s just so fascinatin’. I couldn’t get enough of hearin’ him talk the other day.”

“He really was so refined,” Maryann agreed.

“He’s a prince. How could he not be?” Sadie huffed.

“You met Thor,” Lauren snickered before she could stop herself.

“That is true. Though, he’s still got a pretty way of talkin’.” Sadie chuckled.

“Thor… is here?” Georgia murmured, her eyes growing large before she lurched for Lauren’s arm and latched on. “You simply must introduce me.”

The crazy eyes of the woman had Lauren stepping back. “I’m not sure where he and Loki are at, at the moment.”

Cold calculation and cunning filled Maryann’s eyes when Lauren looked her way. Add to it the lust on Bill’s face, and she was ready to run for the hills.

“Yes, you really must introduce Georgia. It’s only right he has the most beautiful woman at the party on his arm,” Maryann insisted.

“Then he’d be escortin’ Lauren,” Sadie snapped, peeling Georgia off Lauren’s arm.

“Sadie Brockett! Don’t you go takin’ that tone with me!” Maryann snarled while Georgia pouted.

“Now, don’t you be gettin’ your knickers in a twist, wife. Y'all have eyes to see Sadie ain’t spoutin’ no cockamamie story. Our Lauren is quite the belle of this here ball tonight.” He smiled jovially at his wife and daughter before turning his salacious gaze back to Lauren. “Why, I really must insist you save me a dance, darlin’.”

The sound of Loki’s preferred endearment rolling off his tongue had Lauren longing to throw up on his shoes. “I’m afraid my dance card is quite full.”

“Oh, you can make space for me,” he insisted.

The idea of his sweaty palms and grasping hands touching her in any way made her want to scream for Loki. Instead, it was Sadie who came to the rescue.

“Lu? Ain’t that your daddy over there tryin’ to get your attention?”

Lauren glanced at Sadie with thanks. “I believe it is. Excuse us.” The two of them rushed away, losing the Dalton’s in the crowd.

“That man makes my skin crawl,” Sadie murmured, shivering in disgust.

“Me too.” Lauren’s features twisted in distaste.

Sadie turned to speak only to let loose a soft growl. “Fuck, Lu. Incomin’.”

Lauren glanced back to find Marabeth and her flock of cronies bearing down on them. “Breathe, Sadie,” she warned quietly, squeezing the brunette’s fingers.

“Well, Lauren,” Marabeth began, “this is quite the spectacle you’ve put on.”

“Tacky and so overdone,” Quinn agreed.

“Hm,” Monique, another of Marabeth’s clique piped up, “Ostentatious is what I’d call it.”

Tracy waved a ring-bedecked hand at the ceiling. “Can we all say tryin’ too hard?”

A round of giggles exploded from the lot of them.

“And just look at you,” Marabeth sneered, taking her gaze over Lauren. “You look no better than a trumped-up whore in that dress. Bought and paid for with all… this.” She flicked her finger first at Lauren’s bracer, then higher toward her torque. “What an ugly necklace.”

“It’s a torque, actually. The rest are heirlooms from Loki’s mama, and at least my beau gives me presents. When was the last time Samuel bought you somethin’?” The words flew from her lips without seeking her permission, but Lauren couldn’t find it in herself to be sorry for them. The group of harpies was disparaging Loki’s work this time, not hers, and she wasn’t about to stand for it.

“I don’t need expensive presents from my husband, Lauren Guillemin. The way your fiancé spoils you just goes to show you’re the same needy brat you’ve always been. Constantly whinin’ for attention. “I want this, I need that.” You’ve always been a graspin’ little bitch, and now it’s clear how you sank your claws into him, to begin with. Flauntin’ yourself like you are is disgraceful. Sadie Brockett, you should be ashamed of yourself for darin’ to show your face after puttin’ Lauren in such a scandalous dress.”

“Shut your yap, Marabeth. Just cause you’re unable to wear somethin’ so fitted anymore doesn’t give you the right to tear at Lauren because she can. She looks amazin’. Both Loki and Thor think so!” Sadie snapped.

Red suffused Marabeth’s face. “Why I bother to try and educate you, you lowbrow hussy, I’ll never understand. You’re no better than Lauren in that outfit you’ve got on.” She sniffed, staring down her nose at the two of them. “No wonder you had to catch the eye of some _alien_ to find someone, Lauren. No self-respectin’ male would have you.”

“I’d have her,” came a hard, deep voice from behind Lauren, one as familiar as her own. “And I’d thank you to piss right the fuck off! Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Bucky!” Lauren squealed as she spun around only to come face to face with Steve standing beside him. “Steve?”

“Hey, doll face. Wow, you look amazing!” His shock quickly replaced the thunderous brows and dark eyes of righteous indignation which had been on his face.

“Damn, doll,” Bucky said, taking her hand to pull her closer. “You’re one swell looking dish tonight, unlike Fanny flathead there. Someone should tell her orange really ain’t her colour.”

“Lauren Guillemin! Are you gonna let these… people speak to me this way?” Marabeth sputtered, her voice shrill.

“Considering how you were speaking to her a few seconds ago? Yes, she damn well is!” Natasha said from directly behind Marabeth.

The coolness of Natasha’s Widow voice even made Lauren shiver. “Nat!”

“Just who do you think you people are?” Marabeth blustered, taking a step away from Natasha.

“They would be Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, and Natasha Romanoff. My very good friends… and three more Avengers,” Lauren said, her smile brilliant as she threw her arms around Bucky. “What’re y’all doin’ here?”

He hugged her tight and bussed a kiss on her cheek. “Tony and Pepper decided to take the Avirett’s up on their standing invitation to join them for the party. Had I known it was gonna include people with such rude manners we’d a been here earlier, doll. No one talks to a member of my family like that and gets away with it.”

“Especially when every word is a bald-faced lie,” Steve agreed, swinging sharp blue eyes back to the group of cowering women. “Who the hell do you think you are saying something like that to Lauren?”

“She’d be Marabeth Avirett, one of the hostesses of tonight, and Lauren’s elder sister,” Sadie quipped rather gleefully.

Bucky’s countenance darkened. “So you’re the sister.” He set Lauren away from him, thrusting her toward Steve. “You’re a real piece of work. If I was less of a gentleman…” he clenched his fist, “You’re gonna want to walk away right now and stay away from me the rest of the night.”

What Marabeth and the others saw on his face and in his eyes, Lauren couldn’t be sure, but her sister paled swiftly, and the group scurried away like rats fleeing a sinking ship before his anger. Not even Loki had been able to put that much fear into her sister, but by the time Bucky turned around the look was gone.

“Damn. Can you teach me how to do that?” Sadie asked, extending her hand. “Sadie Brockett.”

“Fraid not, doll. It’s a Winter Soldier thing,” Bucky chuckled. “Good to meet you, ma’am. Lauren’s told me lots about you.”

“Likewise.” Sadie smiled. “I feel as if I already know most of y’all already. Ms. Romanoff, you’re just as beautiful and scary in person as I’ve always imagined.”

Natasha laughed and shook the offered hand. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was meant as one.” She turned to Steve. “Captain. She’s right about you as well.”

Lauren inhaled sharply and blushed right to the roots of her hair. “Sadie June!” she barked.

“What?” Sadie teased. “I was gonna say sweet and loyal but commanding, not that other thing. I feel the need to stand up straight and salute.” She gave Steve a wink.

“Well, know I’m curious,” Steve said with a smirk. “What’s the other thing?”

Sadie only shrugged and mimicked zipping her lips. “Sorry, Cap. Us southern girls gotta stick together.”

“What are y'all doin’ here really?” Lauren asked, desperate to change the subject.

“Thor told us… everything,” Steve said, turning her to face him. “Are you alright?”

The concern in his eyes was unnecessary but sweet. Lauren smiled and straightened his tie. “I’m great.”

“Really?” Natasha asked, moving closer and peering at her through narrowed eyes.

“I’m happy, Nat. Really, really happy. I hope y’all can be for me, too. Otherwise this will be a mighty short trip for everyone.” Lauren lifted her chin.

The redhead’s gaze trailed over her, alighting on the bracers, necklace, and circlet before returning to Lauren’s eyes. “He certainly knows how to make a statement,” she smirked, stepping forward to hug Lauren. “So, you’re married to the God of Mischief. What’s that like?” she asked, her grin teasing.

Acting purposefully dense, Lauren shrugged. “It’s only been a few hours.”

“Hey, Gilli?” Bucky grabbed her fingers and tugged her a few steps away from the others.

“Yeah, Buck?” She looked at him with worry, wondering if he was upset with her, but he just gently cupped her chin and smiled.

“If you’re happy, darlin’, then I’m happy for you. Loki’s a good guy, I think. Just… had a bum wrap.”

“Like another good guy I know,” she said, patting his chest and fighting the tears which burned her eyes with his acceptance.

“Alright! Where is she?” Tony huffed, sauntering toward the group. He tugged his glasses from his face and pointed the arm of his specs Lauren’s direction. “You, missy, have some explaining to do.”

Pepper rolled her eyes, gave Tony a shove and swept Lauren into a hug. “Ignore him. He's petulant because you acted like a grown up and made a choice which didn’t involve him.”

Lauren laughed and hugged Pepper back. “It’s so good to see you, but you must have barely gotten back from China.”

“I had a few hours of sleep on the plane before Tony ambushed me, but I wouldn’t have missed this for the world! Look at you glow, Lauren.” She shook her head as she stepped back. “I can see what Loki meant. This bond, it really is good for you.”

A pleased blush filled Lauren’s cheeks.

“You should see the two of them together,” Sadie snickered, her eyes bright with excitement and a little awe. “They’re adorable. The world just kind of… vanishes for them.”

“Pepper, Tony, this is Sadie Brockett.”

“Ah, the illustrious Sadie.” Tony took her hand and swept her a bow. “Charmed.”

“Likewise,” Sadie giggled.

“ _The_ Sadie?” Pepper asked, looking to Lauren.

“The very same one,” Lauren laughed when Sadie looked shocked.

“You and I need to talk,” Pepper said, stepping closer to Sadie. “I really need to know where you find some of your dresses! Lauren always looks incredible and has credited you with her knowledge.”

“She did?” Sadie squeaked, glancing at Lauren with eyes now full of gratitude before she and Pepper launched into a full-scale discussion which went right over Lauren’s head.

“Well, Miss Annandale?” Tony started, levelling Lauren a glare. “Just what have you got to say for yourself?”

Four Avenger’s stood before her, all staring with different levels of interest or understanding. While Bucky looked happy for her, practically beaming like the brother she’d always named him, Steve looked more happy and uncertain. Natasha appeared to be putting on a good face, happy for her but still cautious, while Tony only appeared stern.

Lauren knew if she couldn’t stand up for herself against them, she wasn’t going to be able to defend her relationship against anyone. With a lift of her chin, she let her hands fall loosely to her sides. “He is my choice, whether you agree with it or not. I love him. He loves me. Everythin’ he’s done since he’s been here has made my life easier. You may not understand it, you may not like it, but Loki gave me a choice and I made it. For all intents and purposes, I’m his and I’d have it no other way.”

The shiver of _knowing_ which had tracked her spine earlier that day sounded again in her soul and she turned, a moth drawn to his flame, to face the doors. Walking through them was a very changed Asgardian and wicked amusement worked its way through Lauren.

Thor was dressed as befit the King of Asgard. His armour had been replaced with a dark red leather which seemed to form to his torso and arms. From beneath she could just make out the glimmer of a black tunic, the collars crossing at his throat before disappearing beneath the leather. There were runes and symbols carved into it, leather lacings creating rows of seams like ‘x’s up his sides. Black boots blended with black breeks to showcase heavily muscled thighs. Though the leather worked outerwear stopped at the top of his hips, his tunic continued from below allowing one to see the heavily embroidered hem of gold intricately worked knots which ran around the bottom. His usual silver bracers had been replaced by highly polished golden ones, as were the large claps which held his cape to his shoulders. It snapped at his heels when he walked, drawing everyone’s eyes to him as he made his way toward her.

It wasn’t until he was a few yards away that Lauren realized what he wore upon his brow. The crown was not what she’d expected. Instead of the large, jewel-encrusted ones she’d seen in movies and magazines, this one was a two-inch band of beaten gold engraved with knots and symbols similar to the ones upon his clothing. Two rather ornate wings rose above either ear, but otherwise, it was a relatively understated piece. The helmet he often wore had more embellishing on it than the crown did. Still, when he approached, his smile full and reminiscent of his brother, Lauren executed a perfect curtsey.

“Your majesty,” she said, amusement heavy in her tone.

“Such a trickster you are, little sister. No wonder you are Loki’s chosen,” Thor laughed, lifting her back to her feet and kissing her cheek. “Your _Ástvinur_ is intent on making an entrance,” he said quietly against her ear.

She looked again at the doors and had her breath catch.

He stood between them, the crowd still parted after Thor’s passing, giving her a perfect view. Loki appeared a God among men to her at that moment. While he may have been sporting the same black boots and breeks of his brother, that was where the similarities ended. His tunic was green and heavily worked with black and gold threads. A wide gold torque lay flat against his chest, while a coat of leather with a high collar caressed his jaw. Though it too was black, the inner edge shone with a green tinge. It hugged his frame and hung in long tails which swirled around him when he started forward. In his hand was his staff, again appearing as a cane topped with a green stone similar to the one pulsing at her throat. He swung it once before dropping the end gently to the ground.

The roll of power shook the room, caused the lights to dim and the bright blue of the stars floating amongst the sheers to flicker and dance. The blue reflected across the white floor like small spotlights.

Lauren found her gaze captured by shining green eyes full of mischief. She stepped away from the others, stepped out on gleaming white floors, and walked toward Loki.

The cane swung and landed. Magic rippled. Then petals of red and white were falling from the ceiling like snow, disappearing as soon as they came in contact with floor or person. The cane swung and landed. Wind swirled the petals, sending them blowing in a circle around them as if they met within a snowglobe.

Lauren laughed softly when she came to a stop before him. “Dramatic much?” she teased quietly.

He took her hand and bowed over it with much flair, kissing her knuckles lightly before rising. “For you, my darling, I shall always endeavour to make an entrance.” With a small smirk, he threw his staff straight up into the air where it burst into a shower of gold sparkles which rained down on them like a firework.

Lauren laughed as the music began, a timeless waltz for which Loki offered his hand. She bent to scoop up her train but the fabric seemed to leap to it without much effort, and Lauren placed her hand in his. He pulled her close, his eyes showing his heart when he took her in his arms and slipped effortlessly into the dance. He led her easily, commandingly, with strength and grace around the floor. Into turns and spins. He dipped her back over his arm and made her laugh. They danced alone, oblivious to the room full of people. Unaware of the picture they presented. Darkness and light. Power and beauty. But most of all, unflagging love and devotion.

All who looked upon them couldn’t help but sigh a little at the complete adoration on Loki’s face, nor the smile of happiness upon Lauren’s. Envy bloomed in hearts already blackened by jealousy, but for others, they could not fail to see the soul of light and compassion which poured out of Lauren.

“I feel like Cinderella, dancin’ at the ball with the prince,” Lauren sighed, perfectly content to follow where he led.

His hand upon her back kept her tight to him, the other, strong in hers, guiding her easily, his steps light and agile. “Ah, but I already know your name, _elskan min_ , and my magic will far outlast the midnight bells. There will be no need to rush off when the clock strikes twelve.”

She looked up to his eyes, more blue than green again, and smiled coyly. “If I do leave at midnight it would only be to return to our room.”

“Darling,” he crooned softly as the music slowed to an end. “You tempt me so.” He brought her to a stop, faces close, noses touching as he smiled down at her.

Applause erupted around the room before Lauren could respond, startling her into flushing when she realized they’d danced this first dance completely alone.

Loki tilted his head in acknowledgment, as if it was expected, such accolades, and lifted her palm to his mouth. “My beloved _Ástvinur_!” he called out, his voice carrying above the noise. “For whom my heart beats.” He bowed to her and Lauren tried not to flush scarlet with his praise.

She let her dress drop as he led her away and other couples began to spill out onto the floor, back to where his brother was standing with seven gaping mouths.

Thor slapped Loki on the shoulder. “Well done, brother! A first dance and court greeting worthy of your _Ástvinur_!”

“Lu! That was so beautiful,” Sadie cried, her eyes teary. “Like the first dance at a weddin’.”

Loki slipped his arm around Lauren’s waist as the others continued to gawk. “Something to that effect, yes.”

“I’m afraid we may have stepped on mama’s toes a little. She and Daddy usually dance the first dance.” Lauren refused to feel bad though, not after that performance. The party was in full swing and when the two small bodies pushed through the crowd followed by a furry one, Lauren crouched down and held out her arms. “Sugar cubes!”

“Aunt Lu! You look like a princess!” Sara giggled, reaching to touch Lauren’s circlet.

“Of course she does, precious.” Loki swiftly scooped Sara up into his arms where a crackle of magic had her dress and hair looking perfect. “That’s because she is one.”

Lauren ignored him in favour of hugging a shocked and staring Benny and scratching the ears of a wiggly Usun, but when she made to pick Benny up, Thor snuck him away. “Hey!”

“Ladies in gowns of snowy white should not be picking up small boys who have a tendency to have sticky fingers,” Thor teased, rubbing at what was likely a chocolate stain on Benny’s chin.

“What in the… what… what’s happening here?” Tony asked. His mouth hung open as he stared at all of them.

Steve and Natasha didn’t look much better, though Bucky and Pepper seemed to have taken things in stride.

Lauren accepted the offered glass of refreshed wine from Marcus with a grateful smile. “Everyone, this is Sara and Benny, my niece and nephew, and the puppy is Usun. Sugar cubes, this is Miss Romanoff, Mr. Barnes, Mr. Stark, Miss Potts and Mr. Rogers.”

“That ain’t right!” Benny gushed, finally finding his voice. “That’s Captain America, the Winter Soldier, the Black Widow and Iron Man! Aunt Lu, you brought home my favourite Avenger!”

“Nice to see the boy has good taste,” Tony smirked.

“Captain America? Did you brin’ your shield?” Benny asked, his eyes bright with excitement.

The group as a whole burst out laughing while Tony pouted.

Steve glanced from Benny to Lauren before reaching out to take the boy from Thor. “It just so happens I did, but it’s out in the helicopter.”

“Can I see?” Benny begged.

“Oh, Benny, I don’t think that’s-” Lauren started when Steve held up his hand.

“It’s alright, Lauren. Not the first time someone’s asked.” Steve gave her a smile.

“Lauren! Lauren Guillemin!” Magnolia snapped as she stormed up to the group and snatched her by the arm. “I really must speak with you, _right now_.”

It was almost a growl, one Usun returned with equal fervour, a sound her mother ignored.

There was a fire of retribution in Magnolia’s eyes which sent a shiver of fear down Lauren’s spine. Then, the stone at her throat warmed reminding her there was nothing more her mother could do to her. “I would, mama, but first,” she lifted her gaze to Loki’s and smiled, “let me introduce my guests.” She went around the circle, introducing each of the team, ending with Steve. “And I’m sure y’all are familiar with my friend Captain Steve Rogers,” she said, sending a cheeky grin her father’s way when Hoyt arrived to deal with Magnolia.

“Oh… oh, my,” Magnolia gasped, bringing her hand to her throat. “These are the Avengers. Why I never… and in my house. Hoyt, do you see!”

“Indeed I do,” Hoyt said, nodding to the group at large. “It’s a pleasure. Y’all are welcome here. Magnolia, why don’t you see about gettin’ rooms arranged for Lauren’s guests.”

“No need to go to any trouble,” Pepper began.

“Nonsense!” Magnolia stepped in. “Why y’all can’t be goin’ all the way back to New York tonight. I won’t hear of it. You’re our guests now, and we’ll see you done up right. I’ll have the maids see everyone situated.”

“Five rooms, mama. Don’t forget about Thor,” Lauren reminded her gently.

“Of course I wouldn’t forget about Thor!” Magnolia quipped before marching away.

Hoyt leaned down and whispered near Lauren’s ear, “You’re mama was madder than a wet hen, but you looked beautiful out there, sweetheart.”

“Thanks, daddy,” she whispered back, blushing with his praise.

“Your friends saved me from stoppin’ one wicked tongue lashin’ for sure,” he chuckled as he walked away, heading for the bar.

“Sadie.” Marcus tugged on the brunette’s arm. “C’mon, hun.”

“Worrisome old woman,” Sadie grumbled. “He’s makin’ me sit and eat, but I’ll be back. Don’t y’all go doin’ somethin’ fun till I get back.”

Lauren shook her head. “Go on, Sadie.”

Marcus gave her a grateful smile and pulled Sadie away.

One by one, or in some cases pairs, they parted as Steve took Benny to see his shield and Bucky tagged along. Thor caught Natasha’s hand and swept her out on the dance floor. Tony and Pepper soon followed, along with Loki and Sara who reminded the God of Mischief that he’d _promised_ her a dance. Loki had smiled apologetically, but Lauren motioned them away.

If she had to lose him to another female for a dance, it might as well be Sara. She watched him sway with her among the other dancers, earning looks of amusement when he made Sara giggle as Lauren sipped her second glass of wine with Usun sitting at her feet.

The crisp taste of the tart grapes was refreshing and helped soothe the last lingering feeling of apprehension. She’d had her confrontation with Marabeth. She’d had, sort of, another with her mother. For the most part, she should be free and clear. Those were usually the two biggest hurdles during one of these events. Dodging the unwanted advances of persistent dance partners was the last, but even they seemed cautious tonight.

Jasper Rubin, of the worst breath award, had only given her a nod before casting a nervous glance Loki’s way. Clive Osborn hadn’t even made eye contact. Addicus Webber was courting some swallow faced girl, possibly a Sanders.

They had nine daughters. At this point, Lauren had given up remembering which one was which. So when the hand landed on her elbow, Lauren pasted on a smile, prepared to decline the invitation to dance, and turned.

She paled as she came face to face with Cricket and Davis.

George Montgomery’s parents.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: none

 

* * *

Lauren swallowed thickly, linked her fingers together, and played nervously with her ring. “Miss Cricket. Mr. Montgomery… I-I wasn’t expecting y’all to come tonight.”

Cricket Montgomery was, to Lauren’s mind, the quintessential southern woman. She reminded her strongly of a lady of grace and poise - like Vivien Leigh or Elizabeth Taylor - always immaculate, perfectly presented in face and form, and this time was no different.

Her dress was ivory rather than white, complementing her features instead of washing her out. The top had half sleeves and was fitted with a scoop neckline which showcased her fit, fifty-something physique. It was covered in embroidery and appliques in a shade darker than her dress, encrusted with tiny crystals and gems which twinkled when she moved. The skirt fell in flowing gathers around her hips to the floor, continuing with the same theme of floral embroidery but increasing in size, all the way to the ruffle which allowed the toe of her sparkly shoe to stick out.

Not a hair of her waved and curled platinum locks was out of place. Not a smudge of eyeliner, or a hint of blush overdone. Drop chandelier earrings swung from her lobes and Lauren recognized them as ones she’d given Cricket for a past birthday when Lauren had thought she’d one day be this woman’s daughter-in-law.

At her side was the man George would, likely, become.

Davis in his dark suit with red and blue pocket square and tie was the elder version of his son. The same caramel coloured hair. The same eyes, same face shape, same height. It was like peering into the future and seeing a man who’d aged well.

“Well, I was hopin’ to come and talk some sense into you,” Cricket said, a smile on her lips which didn’t quite reach her dark eyes. “But after that performance, I can see it would be a hopeless endeavour.”

“You truly have come up in the company you keep, Lauren dear,” Davis agreed though his face remained stern. “George was mighty upset when he came home.”

“He really does love you so.” Cricket sighed. “And I was lookin’ forward to havin’ a daughter.”

Lauren bit back a snort and asked, “George… ain’t here, right?” If he was and Loki found out, there would be hell to pay.

“No, dear. He said it would be too painful to see you with… _him_.” Cricket darted her gaze toward Loki who was dancing with Sara.

When Lauren glanced his way, Loki’s gaze flicked to hers, and he winked, indicating he was well aware of what was happening and would come to her if she needed him.

Unable to stop her smile, Lauren turned her attention back to the Montgomery’s. “I won’t apologize for fallin’ in love with a man who adores me and treats me with respect. Not after what George did. He can talk all he likes about lovin’ me, but he’s lyin’ to you both.”

“Lauren,” Davis said sharply.

“Has he told y’all about Darlene yet?” She wasn’t going to do it, had mentally decided to let George dig his own grave, but that wasn’t fair to his parents. They were nice people in their own way, even if they had once intimidated her something fierce.

But she wasn’t that shy girl anymore. She was the heart of a Dark God, and that knowledge gave her the courage to say what she needed to.

“He left that woman behind when he came home,” Cricket huffed, waving a dismissive hand.

“Maybe, but he left her behind pregnant with y’alls first grandchild.”

They stared at Lauren in horror.

“What?” Cricket whispered.

“I’m truly sorry to tell you this, Cricket, Davis, but George didn’t come back cause he wanted to make things right. He ran out of money.” Usan pawed at her leg, and Lauren crouched to pick the puppy up and cuddle the soft ball of fluff close. His warm body helped calm the rapid-fire pounding of her heart.

“You… no. That’s…” Cricket lifted a hand to her throat. “Why are you lyin’?”

Sadly, Lauren shook her head. “I’m sorry, but it’s true. The two of them had cooked up some crazy scheme to steal from my family after him and I got married.”

Anger filled Cricket’s eyes. “How dare you!” she hissed, keeping her voice low so as not to make a scene. “And after the way I treated you like family!”

Memory after memory surfaced and had more sadness filling Lauren’s heart. “You treated me like George’s trophy wife and your trophy daughter. I was a prize you wanted because I fit the image y’all was tryin’ to project.”

“You… you…” Cricket sputtered, clearly at a loss for words.

Lauren looked at Davis. “He’s your son. You know damn well what he’s capable of. Everythin’ I’ve told you came straight from George’s mouth. He admitted it all to Loki. You can believe me or not as you like, but y’all have been good people. You don’t deserve to be blindsided by him when this all comes out. Again, I’m sorry to have to be the one to tell you this.” She gave them a nod and walked away, clutching both wine and puppy like her life depended on it.

Usun stretched up and licked her chin as if to say everything would be alright.

“I hate confrontation,” she murmured, brushing her cheek against his soft ear before downing the rest of her wine and handing off the glass to a passing server.  “Thank you, Margery,” Lauren said to the girl as she went by.

“You look really spectacular, Miss Lauren.” The girl winked, whisking away the tray she was carrying.

“She’s right, Lauren.” Lafayette stepped into her path.

“Thanks, Yette.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek. “You’ve managed to clean yourself up pretty spiffy as well.” She eyed his suit, a nicely cut one which showed off his broad shoulders and trim waist. “So, who’s your date tonight? Please tell me it ain’t one of the Sanders sisters? I can never remember all their names.”

He chuckled softly and counted them off on his fingers. “Ginny, Jennifer, Lynda, Lottie, Susie, Samantha, and the youngest is Veronica.”

“What you do? Date them all?” she asked, staring at him in amazement.

Lafayette gave a shrug and thrust his hand through his hair. “Maybe. Just casual, though. Not like I was serious or nothin’.”

“So? Then who is your date?”

“Ain’t got one.”

“Really?” she asked, stunned. “You always have a date.”

“I just… wasn’t feelin’ it this year,” he said, reaching out to scratch Usun’s chin. “Cute dog. You never did tell me, he yours?”

“Sara and Benny’s, actually.” She pouted a little and cuddled the puppy. “Though he’s so sweet, I kind of wish he was mine. But he’ll be good for the kids.”

“What kind is he?”

She glanced up when something about the way he asked sounded… odd. “He’s an Asgardian _dyrehund_. Thor brought him.”

“Oh.” He nodded slowly, looking disappointed.

“Why?”

“No reason.” He tucked his hands into his pockets.

She frowned at him for a moment before shaking her head, unable to understand why he was being so weird. “I was gonna get somethin’ to eat, but you should find a girl and dance.” Lauren turned away, only to have him grab her hand.

“Our you could dance with me.”

His dark brown eyes held no room for argument, but Lauren had no desire to give in either and pulled her hand away. “Maybe later, Yette. Usun and I are goin’ to check out your mama’s spread.”

“Why don’t I come with you?” he said, catching her hand a second time.

“Okay,” she shook him off her arm, “what the hell’s wrong with you? You’ve been weird ever since I came home.”

He sighed quietly, almost sadly, and glanced around. “Can we talk? Privately?”

“I think we’d better.” Lauren refused his offered hand and picked up the front of her dress to make her way through the throng of well-wishers back outside on the terrace and down around the side of the house, rather than into the garden where more guests were strolling, taking in the night air.

Stopping in a place that was private but in no way secluded, Lauren crouched to set Usun down and crossed her arms. “Now, you wanna tell me what’s up with you?”

He shoved his hand through his hair again, his eyes distant, as if he was at war with himself before glancing her way and giving a shrug. “Here goes nothin’,” he muttered before wrapping his fingers around her upper arms.

Lauren slapped her hands on his chest. “Whoa! What are you doin’?” she yelped in shock, holding him away from her when he tried to draw her in.

“I was gonna kiss you, tell you how much I loved you, and ask you to stay here with me and not leave with Loki.”

She could only stare at him in utter shock. “You’re serious…” Lauren whispered.

“As a jockey on race day. Lauren… I’ve always loved you.”

When he leaned in again, she shoved him harder, forcing him to let go of her. “You’ve never said a damn word regardin’ any such thing, Lafayette Glidwell!”

“Because you were engaged to George! And then when I think I’m finally gonna have a chance, you come home with him. The God of fuckin’ Mischief! How was I supposed to say anythin’?” He reached out, slower this time, to close his hands around her wrists, ending up clamping them around her bracers. “But this is our chance! Don’t you see? We could be together.”

“No, we can’t.” She shook her head. “I don’t love you like that, Yette. I’ve always only thought of you as my brother.”

“You’re just sayin’ that cause you’re hung up on Loki!” he snapped, shaking her arms and causing Usun to growl in warning. “Break it off with him,” he drew her closer, ignoring her resistance, “I can make you forget him.”

She stared into sharp brown eyes, ones she could no longer recognize. He’d been the closest thing she’d had to a real sibling, right up there with Sadie, for years, but now, this man, the one who held her like he didn’t dare let go, who looked at her with eyes full of longing… she no longer knew this man and slowly shook her head. “No, Yette, you can’t. And I can’t break it off with him, wouldn’t even if I could, because I love him with every bit of my heart and… we’re already married.”

He released her like she’d burned him and stepped away. “What? When?”

The betrayal on his face had her wrapping her arms around her waist. “Not long ago. Asgardians, especially Dark God’s, do things differently. Loki and I are meant to be together.”

“Like fate?” he sneered.

“Exactly like that.” She lifted her chin and watched his face fall.

“Oh.”

She walked toward him, paused at his shoulder, and patted his arm. “I don’t mean to hurt you, Lafayette, but it was never gonna happen even without Loki.” It hurt her heart to say so, but Lauren wasn’t about to lie to him. She was a few steps away when he spoke again.

“I got offered a job. It’s in California. I was only waitin’ for you.”

Lauren glanced over her shoulder at him. “You need to stop waitin’ and start livin’, Yette. Move on with your life and find someone who can make you happy. I love you like a brother. I’m sorry that’s not what you want to hear.”

He sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Honestly, with the way you talked about him, I figured it would be Bucky,” he chuckled, a bit of the twinkle returning to his eye.

A grimace twisted her features at the thought. “James is the other brother I never had. A year ago though, if you’d asked me that my answer would have been Steve, but I met Loki and everyone else paled in comparison. He’s… _everythin’_.”

“I can see it, Lu, I just didn’t want to.” He sighed and shook his head.

“Go. Take that job, Yette, but keep in touch.” She gave a regal tilt of her head when he nodded and turned to walk into the darkness away from the party. “And good luck!” she called out.

He lifted a hand in acknowledgment but didn’t turn around. He’d always been one who preferred to go off and lick his wounds in private.

Lauren walked away with the pup on her heels, breathing out a breath at another confrontation she would have rather never had. When she made the patio, she was met by a smirking Bucky, a blushing Steve, and an excitedly chattering Benny.

“Oh… shit,” Lauren whispered. “Did you hear that?”

“Nope. Steve always blushes for no reason,” Bucky quipped.

“Shut up, James,” Lauren sighed and looked at Steve. “I had a crush, as I’m sure most women do.”

“S’okay, doll face,” Steve winked, “we’re good.”

“Good. Now, Benny, why don’t we go get somethin’ to eat and you can tell me all about it.” She held out her hand and the boy clutched it tightly as they made their way up the stairs.

Bucky elbowed Steve. “Missed your chance.”

“Nah, Buck. Her and Loki, that’s meant to be. I’m kinda glad it never happened cause now I don’t know what I missed out on.” Steve smiled after her. “Let’s go see about finding a few dance partners we can charm.”

“You sure you remember how, old man?” Bucky teased.

“Better than you,” Steve huffed and punched him in the arm.

***

Loki watched the candlelight play across Lauren’s face. She was slightly bent, helping Benny fill a plate with food while Usun looked on with hope-filled eyes. She snuck a glance at the puppy, palmed a piece of shrimp, and fed it to him when she thought no one was watching. It made him chuckle for the _dyrehund_ knew a soft touch when he saw one.

A soft touch. That was his radiant Lauren, but he was so incredibly proud of her and her responses tonight. He wasn’t sure where her sudden influx of courage had come from with Montgomery’s parents, had, in fact, felt the reluctance in her to say anything, but then she’d lifted her chin and spoken with such confidence and such poise, he’d had his mouth fall open causing young Sara to giggle and ask what was wrong.

It was unseemly how aroused he’d been by Lauren’s handling of them. She hadn’t merely played the part of the princess, she’d _become_ royalty in that instant. She’d shone with it. Her light was brilliant to the point of blinding. She’d stood before them with her head held high and demanded their respect.

It made him wonder if she, somehow, had channelled Frigga thanks to the jewelry she wore. It had sounded very much like something his mother would have said. The former Queen of Asgard wasn’t one to withhold a truth, even if that truth was painful to hear.

Sara had, again, demanded his attention, wondering if he’d make the petals fall from the ceiling for her. She was such a little darling, her eyes bright with wonder and excitement that he’d thought hard about it but ultimately declined, creating instead a small wand with a sparkly star on the end for her to play with. When she waved it, a shimmer of glittery dust flew through the air, disappearing on contact so as not to make a mess.

He’d contemplated allowing her to cover everyone in glitter, it would have been a lovely bit of mischief, but Lauren would be the one to whom they all complained, so he decided against it. Still, Sara had squealed with joy and shaken sparkles everywhere as he’d spun her around.

When their dance ended, he’d set her on the floor and bowed to her hand as he had her aunt. She’d dropped into a curtsey that had only wobbled a little, called him _prince_ Loki, and dashed away in her shimmering pink dress to show her friend - whose name escaped him - her new wand, leaving a trail of sparkles in her wake.

As he’d made to leave the dance floor, he’d been swamped by admirers for which he’d swiftly run out of patience. They’d fawned and flirted and _simpered_ until he was ready to tear out his hair. When one had finally gotten up the courage to ask him to dance, he’d shut her down with a clipped, “No,” tilted his head and walked away from them all. They’d burst out in twittering giggles behind him, causing him to roll his eyes.

Such females were so irritating.

Or, perhaps it was the conversation between Lauren and Lafayette for which he’d had little patience. But, there again, she’d acted with such poise Loki had felt a surge of admiration warm his blood. Her answers were perfect. She was perfect. And, she was his

He made his way up behind her, gliding silently through the darkness, to wrap his hand around her waist and press his torso against her bare back. “I saw that, my love,” he whispered near her ear causing her to shiver.

“You saw nothin’,” she whispered back, a smile playing with the corner of her mouth.

He snickered softly. “You have exceptional instincts with animals. He would do well with a feed of raw fish or meat.” He would have to explain as much to Hoyt before someone did something foolish. Like, try to feed the hound dog food and end up with a henhouse missing chickens.

“I’ve always loved them,” she said, dropping a second piece of shrimp the pup was quick to catch. “They were easy. Animals love or they don’t.”

“And did they all love you, my sweet? I bet they did,” he said, stealing the larger of the two plates she was carrying from her hand.

She laughed and brushed Benny’s fingers away when the boy reached for a sweet. “You’ve already had your fingers in the chocolates. I think you can wait a spell and eat some dinner or you’re gonna have an upset tummy.”

Benny pouted, but Lauren only shooed him out of the room. “C’mon. The kids are all bein’ entertained in another part of the house.”

“What about, Sara?” the boy continued to pout, clearly feeling slighted by his sister’s continued participation in the adult party.

Lauren gave him another stern look before crouching down at the doorway and handing the boy the smaller plate. “You know as soon as I find her I’ll be sendin’ her on as well. And who knows, she may have already gone on her own. Hop too, buddy. You and Usun can go on ahead.”

He smiled and it was sweet and full of love. “Okay, Aunt Lu!”

“Be careful, now.” She gave him a wink and sent him into the house.

“I did wonder,” Loki said, holding down his hand to assist her back up. “There were quite a few children who entered the room, then they seemed to vanish. I believe Sara went to find her friend.”

“Mama always has a room with movies and games and people to entertain them for the children who come. It’s both a way to keep them out of the way and keep them happy.”

It sounded like her mother. “Would it not be less of a fuss to simply make the party adult in origin?” he asked, leading her into the mirrored room where people were enjoying the ambiance and the food.

She cast him a glance and sighed. “Maybe, but some of the people here couldn’t come without bringin’ their kids. Most of the children enjoy the chance to get together and giggle with their friends, eat and stay up late. At least, Sadie and I always did, though we would sneak off to my room and watch the party from the second floor, oohin’ and aahin’ over all the dresses and the way the people danced.”

Loki tugged her toward a secluded corner where the thick trunk of one dark tree grew and down into a crystal chair. “Then I think you will quite like Asgard. Everything is done with… flare.” He chuckled softly.

“Will you tell me about Asgard?” she asked, her eyes bright with the glow of his magic in the dimly lit room.

He nudged the plate toward her, encouraging her to eat. Eventually, like himself and Thor, she would grow to need only eat when the mood struck rather than as a regular form of sustenance but not yet. She was still too new to the change. “Asgard is a very grand place. It is not like here where smog and dirt clog the air or darken the cities. Nature and civilization blend, creating harmony between the two. The citadel and palace appear as golden spires against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains.” He traced a circle on the top of the table and had the city appear in miniature. “It is the very heart of Asgard.”

“Oh, wow,” she sighed, peering at the illusion.

“Here,” he pointed to an outer edge, “is where the observatory lies. Heimdall’s domain, from where he watches all the realms.”

“Seems a mighty big task for one person. Especially as he spends an awful lot of time playin’ the peepin’ Tom.”

Her eyes twinkled with mischief, and Loki chuckled. “Yes, well. I informed Thor of your opinion. You'd have to ask my brother if he passed it on.”

Pink filled her cheeks. “You didn’t!”

“Of course. His watching made you uncomfortable.”

“Loki! I was kiddin’ and it was kinda rude!” she gasped, picking at her food, embarrassment and worry humming through her.

“Darling,” he cupped her chin and turned her face back to his. “It wasn’t rude. Knowing he watched made you uncomfortable and I put a stop to it. No one will fault you for your opinion. Even if Thor spoke with Heimdall, it is highly unlikely he used your exact words. Besides, Thor is already well aware of your sharp tongue and feisty nature.”

“You make me sound like a harpy,” she grumbled, a pout forming on her lips.

“A siren,” he murmured, drawing her closer. “A fae creature who has stolen my heart and taken up root in my soul.”

Her gaze drifted down to his lips as she whispered, “Loki.”

“I would kiss you, my Valkyrie.” He skimmed his fingers up her throat.

“I would have you kiss me, my God of Mischief.” Her lashes fluttered almost closed as she tipped her head and waited.

“The things you do to me, woman,” he whispered, shifting closer to caress her arm.

“The things I’d like you to do… to me,” she teased, the green of her eyes burning bright.

A rumble of sound growled from his throat as he took her mouth gently. Softly. With reverence. It was not necessarily how he wanted to kiss her, her teasing ways seeing him well and truly hard in his breeks, but there were far too many witnesses to their small interlude. But when she reached up, sank her hand into his hair, and tugged, he wrapped them in illusion and dragged her from her chair.

She settled on his thigh and tipped his head back, ravaging his mouth, taking what she wanted from him in quick nips and sharp bites to his lips and tongue. He was helpless to resist, finding her aggression exciting. He moaned into her mouth, giving her a taste of him, of his magic and skimmed his hand up to palm her breast.

Her thighs quaked and she pressed them together, trying to find friction for the driving desire which had suddenly come alive in her. She gasped softly, breaking the desperate kiss when he stroked his fingers up her bare back. “Loki… I want you.”

The fact she didn’t even question whether he’d hidden them from prying eyes, her trust complete, made his cock throb. “And you will have me, pet. After the party is over.” It physically hurt to deny her, but they were barely thirty minutes into the evening. Disappearing at this junction was not an option.

An arched brow was her answer before she leaned down to breathe against his ear, “I ache for you.”

“Lauren.” His tone was all warning.

“I want… my husband.” She bit his ear.

“Fuck!” he hissed, loving and hating what she was doing to him. “Keep it up, pet and I will see your regret your teasing.”

She snickered, making it clear she was tormenting him on purpose. “I think your mischief is catchin’. I’ve never been one to be so forward before.”

He lifted her from his lap and returned her to her seat, dismissing the illusion once he had it properly synced. “You are finding yourself, becoming who you were born to be. It surprises me how often you remind me of Frigga.”

“Really?” Her question was quiet, her blush a soft pink, but happiness sang in his heart stone.

“Often. Already tonight when you dealt with both the Montgomery’s and… Lafayette.”

Her eyes widened. “You heard that?”

“I have been expecting it. Had we not finished our bond,” he ran his finger over her torque, “I likely would have beat him bloody for it.”

“Loki.” She frowned.

“You are my Ástvinur. Had he tried to take you from me, I would have been hard-pressed not to kill him. Especially after Thor warned him it was futile.”

She looked about to respond when the rest of what he’d said sank in. “Wait, when did Thor speak with Yette?”

“This morning. After the incident in the kitchen.”

With a sigh, she shook her head. “You know, I never even had an inklin’ he felt like that. Not once in how many years?”

Loki only shrugged, uninterested in speaking further on the subject, or about her once interest in the Captain. “Would you like to know more of Asgard?” She nodded eagerly, and he let the rest go. “This here,” he ran his finger down the single length of what appeared as a golden light in the image, “is the Bifröst.”

“Does it really look like a rainbow?” Lauren asked.

“Very much so.”

Excitement bloomed on her face. “Can you show me?”

An answering smile curled his lips. “I think I will wait to show you in person, love. It is much more impressive that way.”

A new pout formed. “No fair. Who knows how long it will be before we go to Asgard.”

He caught her fingers and lifted her hand to his lips. “We can go whenever you wish, for as long as you wish.”

“Oh?” Her gaze darted out to the throng of people. “You think Tony would mind if I… extended my leave?”

Stark wasn’t going to get a vote. “Why don’t you let me speak with Pepper about it.”

“I don’t want to cause any trouble though. If he needs me around, I can wait.” She wiped her fingers on the napkin from her silverware, having finished her meal.

Loki wasn’t about to have her change her mind. If she were eager to see Asgard, there would be no delay. A delay would allow her time to think and grow nervous, whereas now excitement won out over nerves. “I’m certain concessions can be made. After all, it isn’t as if you have ever asked for exorbitant amounts of time off.”

“And just how would you know that?” she asked, taking his hand when he stood and offered it to her. “I was three years at the tower before you showed up.”

He gently stroked his fingers over her cheek. “After these last few days, my heart… where would you go when home is the tower?” Sorrow filled her eyes and Loki could have kicked himself. “It matters not. You will soon have a new home and new experiences. I think you and,” he swallowed his dislike, “Sif would pair well.”

“She always sounds so… formidable when Thor talks about her.”

He hummed quietly as he led her back into the ballroom and out onto the floor for another dance. “She is a warrior first in his mind. Sif has had to fight hard her entire life to prove she is worthy to stand at his side.”

“You sound as if you admire her?”

When she made to collect the train of her gown, Loki flicked a finger and magicked it to her hand. “I do.” He did. She’d worked hard to become the warrior she was.

“Then why’d you look like you’d sucked on a lemon when you made the offer?”

He glanced at her face and sighed as he gathered her close to sway to the music. “She… dislikes me.”

“No!” Lauren gasped in feigned surprise.

“Such cheek in you,” he muttered even as he chuckled. “To say we were not on the best of terms when I left Asgard… would be accurate. I believe she threatened to kill me if I betrayed Thor again.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Eh… semantics.” He shrugged. “She dislikes me. When we were younger, I may have… shaved her head.”

“Loki!”

“It grew back!”

“That’s beside the point! You don’t go doin’ that to a girl! It’s just nasty.” She frowned at him, clearly quite cross.

“Mother punished me most harshly,” he said, turning humble and contrite to escape her ire, peering at her from behind his down swept lashes. “I had to regrow every strand one at a time. It took hours,” he whined.

“Serves you right. Why’d you do it, to begin with?” she asked, her face stern with disapproval.

Evidently, she wasn’t going to feel sorry for him. This was going to take more work. Heaving a heavy sigh, he turned his face away. “She was cruel to me but it’s not important.”

Suspicion laced her voice when she murmured, “Cruel how? I won’t hold with someone being mean, _elskan min_. A friend of Thor’s or not.”

He glanced back to her face. “She stepped on me.”

“Beg pardon?” she muttered, her eyes widening.

“When I was first learning to shift my shape. I was a snake in mother’s garden and excitedly wanted to show Sif my new trick. She reacted… poorly and stepped on me, stomped really. It hurt, darling, quite severely, and I was angry with her.”

Her train fell from her fingers as she reached up to cup his cheek. “You poor baby.”

“It was so painful, my heart,” he sighed and tugged her in closer.

“My precious little Loki,” she murmured, stroking his cheek, “That must have been so embarrassin’.”

“Oh, it was, darling. Frightfully so.” He bent to brush his cheek against hers, happy to be back in her good graces, right up until she grabbed his ear. “Ah! What?”

“Do you think I don’t know you or somethin’? Excited to show off your new trick, my ass. You were tryin’ to scare her, weren’t you? But, oh, how things backfired. Then you get revenge by shavin’ off her hair? Peaches,” she scolded, sounding very disappointed.

He felt as big as Benny when she looked at him like that.

“First thing when we get to Asgard, y’all are goin’ to apologize _sincerely_. You get me, Laufeyson?”

Her eyes flashed with angry fire and had him giving a meek, “Yes, dear.”

“Good.” She released his ear to sweetly pat his cheek. “That’s all I ask.”

A snorted and quickly muffled laugh erupted behind them.

Loki sighed. “Do shut up, brother.”

Thor guffawed a second time and sidled up beside them with Sadie. “I said nothing.”

The laughter in Sadie’s eyes said otherwise. “Shall we trade, my king? My ear requires time to recover before my _Ástvinur_ decides to twist it again.”

Lauren’s smile faltered. “Loki… I… did I hurt you? I didn’t mean-“

He pressed his finger to her lips. “I am only teasing, my love. You are much like your Gran, though she slapped me on the back of the head as well. Tell me, are all Bryne woman so violent?”

“One never knows!” she giggled, taking Thor’s hand.

The big blond tucked it at his elbow. “Perhaps a beverage first? I feel quite parched.”

Thor nodded to Loki as he led Lauren away, Thor’s head bent close to listen to Lauren tease his brother about being unable to offer anything even close to honey mead. The big, booming laugh filled the room.

“The way you look at her,” Sadie sighed. “I’m so damn happy for y’all.”

Loki offered her his hand with a flourish and a short bow causing Sadie to giggle.

“You’re a charmer, ain’t ya?” she snickered, taking his hand.

“I do try, Lady Sadie,” he chuckled, guiding her easily through the steps of the dance. “But I really must thank you.”

“Oh, it’s nothin’. I always dress Lu for these things.” She smiled, misunderstanding him completely.

“Not for the dress but for how you have always been there for her. I have seen only the tip of this… _iceberg_ of a family. I can’t even imagine how hard it would have been for her, growing up without people like you or her Gran to look out for her.”

A flush darkened her cheeks but her eyes never left his. “She didn’t deserve how they treated her. She never has. You don’t know how many times she cried over it, unable to understand why they were all so… cruel.”

Tears filled her eyes, and Loki gently patted her back. “No tears, darling. Your husband is already frowning at me for stealing you from him.” He tilted his head to the side.

She glanced at Marcus and laughed. “I may have casually mentioned he could pick up a few pointers from a certain God of Mischief.”

“Darling,” he scolded. “You’ll bruise the poor man’s ego.”

“Or irk him enough to up his game,” she snickered.

Loki burst out laughing at her wicked grin. “I think, Sadie, you and I could have quite the fun together. Tell me, do you like to play a prank now and then?”

Her smile grew devious. “Oh, yes, hun. It was how I stayed sane dealin’ with that lot.” She leaned closer, her eyes shining with laughter as she whispered, “Don’t tell Lu, but this one time when she and I were stayin’ at her Gran’s, I snuck out in the middle of the night, came here, and poured kool-aid powder in Marabeth’s conditioner. She always used this fancy purple stuff, so I added about five packets of blueberry to her bottle, making it only a little darker, shook it real good, and snuck out. Her hair was blue for three days before their mama got her into the salon.”

While he was only aware of what kool-aid was thanks to daytime television, Loki could imagine the outcome of the prank quite well and chuckled softly. “I suppose there was hell to pay afterward?”

Sadie only smirked a little wider. “Nope. Lu and I were with her Gran, no one saw me, and there was no way they could prove nothin’. Marabeth hid in her room until she could get it fixed, so Lu had a few days where she only had to deal with Cissy. They never did find out who did it.”

“I applaud your success. It was an excellent bit of mischief. Should we play a few more?” he asked, his smile growing to rival hers.

“Why, whatever do you have in mind, Loki?” Her eyes fairly lit up with excitement.

“It would be such a tragedy if something befell the gown Marabeth is wearing.”

A grimace replaced her smile. “Ugh. It’s hideous but she’s as bad as her mama when it comes to gettin’ a thought in her head. There was just no changin’ it.”

He turned them so they could both see Marabeth holding court with her group of cronies. “Which one, besides her sister, has been the meanest to my Lauren?” he asked Sadie quietly.

Without hesitation, Sadie growled, “Monique. The brunette with all the teeth.”

Loki chuckled at her description for it was hard to miss the woman with the smile like a horse. “Ah, how fortunate. She chose the red wine.” Using the hand holding Sadie’s, he flicked his index finger toward the group. “Don’t blink, Sadie dear.”

“What are you-”

Her question was halted by a loud shriek and fuss when the woman, Monique, bobbled her glass, winding up dumping the entire thing down the front of Marabeth’s gown. While the woman with too many teeth sputtered and gasped and apologized, and Marabeth seethed, Loki spun himself and Sadie away from the chaos.

“Oh. Such a shame,” he murmured.

Mouth agape, Sadie tore her eyes from the scene to stare at him. “That was…”

“Just a bit of fun.” He shrugged but was unable to keep the smile from twitching his lips.

“Where were you twenty years ago?” she snickered. “You make everythin’ so much easier!”

“Magic has a tendency to do that, yes.” Oh, he liked this woman. He really did. “I can see why you and Lauren are such good friends. Sadie,” he squeezed her hand, “if there is ever anything you require or some way in which I can assist you, you need only ask.” He bent and kissed her cheek. “I feel a debt is owed.”

“Loki, hun,” she blushed a little and shook her head, “with the way you treat Lauren, y’all are answerin’ my every prayer. You make her happy. That’s all I could ever want.”

“Well, the offer stands.”

She tilted her head, another mischievous grin flirting with her lips. “Can we do Cissy next?”

“What did you have in mind?” Oh, yes. He liked her very much.

“Oh… somethin’ along the lines of the feathers slowly moltin’ from her dress throughout the night wouldn’t be outta the question.”

He barked out another sharp laugh. “Sadie, you are a woman after my own devious heart. Let’s make a little mischief, darling.” He gave her a wink.

She grinned wickedly back. “Lead on, oh grandiose God of Mischief!”


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Foul language

 

* * *

Lauren glanced up at Thor as they waited for their drinks at the bar. “So, what did you say to Sadie?”

He chuckled and gave her a wink. “Only that I’ve never seen him give in to anyone as swiftly as he did you. You are good for him, and Sif has held a grudge. Perhaps having his _Ástvinur_ prod him into an apology will have her seeing him in a new light.”

“I hope so.” Lauren twisted her fingers together. “I'd hope people would look at him differently now. I know y’all on Asgard see this bond as somethin’ real special and rare. Hopefully, that will be enough to prove he's worthy of a second chance.”

Thor clasped her joined hands in one of his. “It already is, dear one.”

A light flush bloomed in her cheeks, pleased by his endearment. “Good. I-” Lauren was cut off before she could continue.

“Lauren! There you are. I’ve been lookin’ all over for you.” Georgia grabbed her by the arm, smiling brightly - a little too brightly - at Thor.

Lauren tried not to sigh. Georgia wasn’t the first one to casually stop by as they waited for their drinks, but Lauren knew she would likely be the toughest to get rid of. At least she was without-

“Lauren, dear!”

This time the sigh did escape. Plastering on a smile, Lauren turned to face Maryann Dalton and her husband while peeling Georgia off her arm. “Thor, this is Bill and Maryann Dalton, and their daughter, Georgia.  Everyone, his Highness, Thor Odinson, King of Asgard.”

Thor nodded his head. “Evening.” He found it amusing she kept introducing him that way, but Lauren had only shrugged. It was expected.

Georgia and Maryann curtsied while Bill held out his hand. “Good to meet you!”

Thor shot her a glance, one Lauren answered with a roll of her eyes, before he gripped the offered hand. “Pleasure.”

Bill winced and shook his hand once Thor released it. “That’s some grip you got there.”

A rather devious smile played with Thor’s lips and nearly made Lauren giggle. It seemed someone else was prone to a bit of mischief. “The Dalton’s are one of our closest neighbours and daddy’s biggest rivals when it comes to the horses,” she informed Thor.

“Oh, poo, Lauren!” Georgia huffed, latching her hands around Lauren’s arm a second time and clinging like a damn tick. “Y’all say it like we weren’t friendly growin’ up or nothin’.” She smiled winsomely up at Thor. “Why, Lu and I were just the _best_ of friends in our younger years. Ain’t that right, Lu?” she said, squeezing Lauren’s arm tightly and causing her to flinch.

Thor’s gaze dropped to the hands wrapped around her arm and immediately reached for Lauren’s hand only to have Georgia thrust hers out instead.

“Why, I’m ever so pleased to meet you, your majesty. I am such a huge fan.”

“How… nice?” Thor glanced her way again, clearly seeking direction.

Lauren desperately wanted to drag her hands down her face in exasperation but chose instead to pick up the drinks when Mike set them down at her elbow. “Georgia is correct in that we did grow up together, but I’m afraid she’s mistaken in her assumption we were anythin’ but acquaintances.”

“Lauren!” Maryann gasped, a hand flying to her throat.

“The truth is only painful to those who benefit from lies. Enjoy the party,” Lauren said with a smile as Thor extracted himself from Georgia’s slack grasp and took his glass after linking Lauren’s arm through his.

“Don’t forget about our dance, now, Lauren,” Bill said as she made to walk away.

Lauren turned hard eyes his direction. “Don’t hold your breath, Mr. Dalton.”

Thor chuckled loudly as they made their way from the room. “Loki was not boosting when it came to your sass, Lauren.”

She took a large sip from her glass, feeling the need to steady her nerves. “I don’t even know what’s gotten into me tonight, Thor. I’d never have had the wherewithal to say any of that a few days ago.”

“You would have said something other than the truth?”

“Yeah,” she sighed and looked up at him. “Georgia would have played that off as us bein’ friends, and I’d a gone along with it rather than speak up. While she wasn’t mean to me, we only tolerated each other and after her fallin’ out with Sadie, it was barely civility. We certainly weren’t friends. But I would have smiled and nodded to save hurtin’ anyone’s feelin’s but my own. Except for tonight. I… I didn’t like it. It was like the thought of it… tasted funny on my tongue. I spoke the truth about George to his parents when I didn’t have to because I couldn’t stand the idea of him hurtin’ them more by continuin’ this charade. I did the same with Lafayette, my sister, and now again with the Dalton’s. I don’t understand it, but…”

“But what, Lauren?” Thor asked, a twinkle in his eye as if he knew something she didn’t.

“I kind of… like it.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “You, darling, shall be a force! What an _Ástvinur_ you are!”

“What?” she sighed, feeling a little exasperated. “What else don’t I know?”

Thor continued to chuckle. “You are the light of your Dark God’s heart, Lauren, and though it doesn’t happen with every bond, each is different, special, a true combining to form a genuinely perfect and unique pair, sometimes little things like this will crop up. You seem to be a truth speaker.”

“You mean I can’t lie!?” she squeaked, feeling the blood drain from her face.

“Oh, no, dear one. You could lie your heart out if you so wished, but most often you will simply speak the truth. You gained nothing by being dishonest about the Dalton’s intentions to ingratiate themselves with me by your good name; therefore: truth. The same with your once future family. Their son’s deceit would have caused more pain, more heartache, and more sorrow for them in the future; therefore: truth.” He shrugged as if it mattered little.

To Lauren, it mattered a lot. “So I am married to the God of Mischief and Lies, but I’m more likely to speak the truth?” She gave a soft snort of amusement. “The Fates seem to have a strong sense of humour… or irony.”

“Do not let Loki’s title fool you, sister. God of Lies he may be, but Loki rarely tells a falsehood. Just because he is the God of them, does not mean he speaks them. He is more inclined to out someone for their lies than lie himself. My brother is… honest to a fault when it suits him or silent when it does not.”

“Hm. I’ve actually seen that. He can spin a tale or weave a mighty confusin’ web when he wishes to, but… yeah. He really is honest.” If, on occasion, a little lax with the details.

“This is true, but do not be hard on him with what comes from your binding. There are certain expectations, your elevation to our race for one, but… there are no hard and fast rules. Asgardians are passionate people. As you become more like us, the strongest parts of you will become even more so. Like your compassionate nature and honesty. They shine from you, little one, like a bright moonbeam and will only grow more beautiful.”

Pink filled her cheeks, and she looked down at her glass. “Between you and Loki, y'all are gonna keep me in blushes and twitters with your compliments.”

“You deserve every one, Lauren,” Thor murmured, bending closer. “That you have not been on the receiving end of them before now… saddens me.”

She glanced up, but smiled and shook her head at his worry. “There’s a sayin’ that goes, “God gives us only what we can handle.” I think it’s fittin’, really. Had I grown up different, or not had the excuse I did to leave and go to New York, I’d likely never have met Tony or Pepper. I wouldn’t know the others or have met Loki. So, while things were a might tough growin’ up, I can look back now and say it was simply a journey. A way to teach me humility, compassion, understandin’, empathy, and patience. Without all five, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

He peered down at her for a long time before pulling her into a gentle hug and kissing the crown of her head. “You are an inspiration, Lauren. Truly inspiring. My people will not know what hit them.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” she murmured, tucking her chin down.

“Mm,” he hummed softly, pulling back to cup her chin and tilt it up. “You are, and you will be, but you must hold your head high. You are Loki’s _Ástvinur_ and a princess of Asgard. As you have politics and nuances in this world, you will see them arise in mine. Modesty is one thing, Lauren, but take your compliments as they are meant and wear them proudly. They are yours, and you deserve them.”

The grip on her wine glass tightened until she worried she would snap the stem. “I think… I think I will be a poor princess,” she said sadly.

“Why?” he asked, moving away to stand with her in a space free of people.

She sighed softly. “I’m… not strong or elegant or refined. I’m just a southern girl, not some royal.”

The look on his face was all shock. “How could you ever think such a thing?”

“Huh?” Lauren blinked, not understanding.

He shook his head in disbelief. “Lauren, you are the kindest, bravest, most compassionate women I have known since Frigga. You are all of those things you think you are not and more. The only thing you are lacking is confidence in yourself, but confidence only comes with trying.”

She blinked back tears, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. “Thor…”

“So, will you do me the honour of trying, little sister?” he asked softly, reaching up to brush the tear which escaped her eye from her cheek.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Y’all are just so… _fancy_.”

Thor chuckled. “Ah, yes. I heard tell of how fancy from little miss Sara. But think of it this way, darling. We all sound like this on Asgard. You, however, will be the one with the charming accent.”

“Oh…” Her hand flew to her lips. “Well… I guess that’s somethin’.”

“And you do not need fancy, my dear.” He gave her a wink and lifted her hand to his lips. “I believe Stark called you a southern belle? While I don’t understand the reference, I am certain it has something to do with just how charming you are. That charm will serve you well.”

Lauren smiled even as she blushed. “Then I guess there’s nothin’ to worry about. A southern lady excels at charm.”

“And sass,” Thor teased, making her laugh.

“That I’ve got in spades.” She gave him a wink and clinked her wine glass against his.

***

“You know, Loki, if you and Lu are serious about not spillin’ the beans, this,” Sadie rubbed her thumb against the ring on his finger, “is just askin’ for trouble.”

“At this point, fair Sadie, I could care not a wit if the beans spilled,” Loki chuckled darkly as he watched Thor and Lauren converse while returning Sadie to her husband.

They had successfully cast a secondary bit of mischief on Cissy. The skirt of her hideous outfit would moult slowly over the next few hours, leaving an unfortunate trail of feathers wherever she went. Marabeth’s ugly orangey gown was now sporting a bloody red stain, and to top things off, Monique, whose dress had once been a shining white, now appeared slightly splattered and she and Marabeth were not speaking.

It gave him a happy thrill to apply his talents with a heavier hand. On Asgard, and even at the Tower, when things began to go… wrong, they all turned scowls and glares his way. This time, he could cause little bits of chaos, and no one thought anything of it.

He nodded his head to Marcus and held out Sadie’s hand to her husband. “I thank you for the dance, fair Sadie, and apologize for keeping her from you for a second one, Marcus. Your lovely wife was assisting me with a bit of… fun.” He arched a brow and grinned wickedly when Sadie snickered.

“I’m pretty damn sure she’ll wrangle herself a dance with all of y’all before the night ends,” Marcus chuckled. “She’s a bit of a fangirl.”

“Watch it, Brockett!” She poked him in the ribs. “Keep that up, and I’ll tell Ms. Romanoff that thing you said the other night.”

Marcus blanched.

Loki chuckled before espying a flash of sparkling pink fluttering through the adults. “Do excuse me.” He was already following the path of Sara as she made her way through the crowd, the trail of sparkles and grinning grown-ups helping guide his path.

From what he understood she should be with the other children, not flitting through the adult party like a shimmery fairy.

He’d almost caught up when the man Lauren had confronted, Montgomery’s father, stepped into his path. A frustrated growl left his lips. “Excuse me,” he muttered as he made to go around him.

“I want to talk to you.”

“Well, I am currently unavailable. Make an appointment,” Loki snapped, finding the rudeness with which he spoke uncalled for and stepped around him a second time. The hand which closed on his shoulder was large and hard but only human and little in the way of a deterrent. “You are fortunate, mortal. At any other point in time, I would have already put a dagger through your heart for such audacity.” He turned his head to glare at the man with eyes he knew would glow green.

The hand was swiftly removed. “I’m Davis Montgomery.”

“Ah, the parent of my Lauren’s ex. Like father like son, I see.” He glanced back to where he’d last seen Sara and sighed as she’d disappeared. Frustrated, Loki turned on the man. “Speak your peace swiftly. I have no time for pleasantries.”

Something felt… off. He didn’t like it, nor did he like how it felt as if Sara was the spark of a catalyst. Her sudden appearance had lifted the hair on the back of his neck. Not to the extent of the omen from earlier, but with enough concern to send him after her.

And now this buffoon was holding him up.

“I don’t appreciate the lies you’ve been spreadin’ about my son,” Davis said sharply. “You’ve turned Lauren against him and us, upset my wife, and I won’t have it.”

“Your son was, and will likely always be an ass. Believe what you wish, but everything Lauren told you came to me directly from your son’s mouth. The only thing Lauren forgot to mention was the money he owed the rather nasty set of men who’d threatened him and his whore. Perhaps you should confront your son before you turn your accusations on someone who gains nothing by exposing him.”

“You gained Lauren!”

Loki stepped closer, well aware of the audience watching the confrontation. “Lauren is not a possession. She is a beautiful, wonderful, caring women who deserved far better than your son. Thank the fates, the gods, and all of Valhalla, your son was too stupid to realize the treasure he held in his hand when he let her go.”

Davis’s face turned a crimson. “I guess the sayin’ holds true. One man’s trash-”

A flick of his wrist had Davis losing his voice rather than his life. “Finish the insult you were about to pay my _Ástvinur_ and see what happens,” Loki hissed, rage in every quiet syllable. “Do it,” he goaded as he released the man’s voice. “I _beg_ it of you.”

“Loki.” Bucky sidled up beside him. “You’ve got a rather distinct glow going on there.”

A glance at his hands showed the flames of green wreathing his fingers and Loki snuffed them out. “Your son is a liar, a cheat, and unworthy of being in the same room with my Lauren. I will thank you to collect your wife and leave before I do something I will enjoy _far too much_.”

Davis jerked himself up stiff. “You ain't got no say in this house. I'm good friends with Annandale.”

“Right up until you tried to call my daughter trash,” Hoyt said, stepping through the crowd which had gathered. “I'd thank you to collect Cricket and head on out of here, Davis before whatever you have to say next ruins our business relationship as well.”

“Hoyt, don't be doin’ somethin’ you'll regret,” Davis said quietly.

“The only thing I regret is agreein’ to shove George at Lauren a second time. Loki may be a different kinda fellow, but he's an honourable man, which is more than I can say for your son.”

Davis sputtered. “You'll regret this, Annandale!”

“This ain't a hundred years ago, Montgomery where you could threaten me cause y’all owned the bank. In fact, maybe it's time I took my money and investments elsewhere. I'm sure Stark would have a few suggestions.”

“Did I hear my name?” Tony asked, wandering over with Pepper on his arm and a drink in his hand. The rose-tinted glass caught the light, but Loki could tell by the hard set of his jaw, Stark had heard enough of the conversation to severely dislike Davis.

“Investments,” Bucky said, crossing his arms. His metal hand was on full display and caused Montgomery’s eyes to widen.

“Mm, that's Pepper’s department. She only keeps me around to look pretty.” Tony waved the hand with the scotch dramatically and tipped it down the front of Davis’s suit. “Oops. How clumsy of me. Do send me the bill.”

A gasp of outrage became a glare and gritted teeth as Davis Montgomery stormed away.

“It's a good thing you're pretty,” Pepper quipped, “It makes it easier to tolerate your butterfingers.”

“Pepper!” Tony gasped in feigned hurt.

She ignored him. “I'd be happy to talk a little business, Hoyt in exchange for a dance. This one looks suave, but his feet match his fingers.”

“Rude!” Tony huffed.

“I'd be delighted, Miss Potts,” Hoyt offered his arm.

“Pepper, please,” she could be heard saying as Hoyt led her away.

“Causing a ruckus, horned wonder? Maybe some things haven't changed,” Tony said quietly, glaring at Loki.

“And if someone implied Pepper was a thing to be discarded as trash, you would have also been preparing to throw a fist, Stark, I assure you,” Loki snarled and walked away.

Bucky frowned at Tony. “Give it a rest, Tony,” he muttered before striding after Loki. “Hey,” he called as he caught up. “What's wrong? You looked like you were hunting something before dickhead got in your way.”

Loki barely gave Bucky a glance. “The little girl, Sara. I must find her.”

“Why?”

“I have an odd… feeling,” he muttered scanning the crowd.

“Feeling? Like when Stevie gets a feeling or when I get a feeling?” Barnes asked.

It was well known that the Captain and the Sergeant had an odd but highly productive working relationship.  Steve's “feelings” were the ones people wanted to hear. The Captain seemed to instinctively know when a mission was going to go well and stay on track. It was Bucky you didn't want to hear from.

Since the days of their Howling Commandos, Bucky had been able to mutter the words, “I got a feelin’,” and all forward momentum ground to a halt. A Barnes “feeling” was one you ignored at your own peril.

“Between the two,” Loki said.

Bucky hummed softly as he, too, began to search the crowd. “I thought it was your ma that had the visions.”

“How do you know that?” Loki asked cautiously.

“I read it. Those poetic eddas and stuff. Did you really put Thor in a dress?”

Loki chuckled softly. “That I did.”

“Like to hear that story one day.”

“Your… eddas are not far from the mark. They're under embellished in places, blown out of proportion in others, but overall have a layer of truth throughout.”

“You’ll have to give me the real stories behind them next time we have a poker night.”

Loki paused in his search to look at Bucky in surprise. He was well aware of the evenings the men spent together drinking and playing cards or pool, heckling each other and speaking on _manly_ things while the women wandered off to do their own female things. At no time, however, had Loki been invited to participate. Yes, in the beginning, he would have turned his nose up at the invitation. The idea of sitting and listening to them moan and whine about the trivialities of their inane human lives would have driven him insane, but now, he understood. It was less about what the spoke about and more about the camaraderie gained with the time spent together. It was about improving team relations and dynamics and building friendships. While he would never admit it… it was something he longed for.

“I would… enjoy that,” he said quietly. “Though Thor will have something to say about retelling the wedding incident.”

Bucky gave a snort of laughter. “Wedding? Who was the bride?”

Loki gave a devious grin. “Why, Thor of course. Why else would he be in a dress?”

***

The loud burst of laughter had Lauren looking across the room to where the sound of Bucky roaring, something she’d heard him do a few times, originated from. To find him laughing with Loki, filled her heart with joy. Her two favourite guys getting along made her exceptionally happy.

The flash of pink and glitter which snuck out the door, did not.

“What is that munchkin up to?” she mumbled softly.

“Hm?” Thor hummed, dragging his gaze away from Loki and Bucky.

She patted his arm. “It seems her highness, Princess Sara, has snuck out into the garden. I’ll go see what she’s up to.”

“We. I’ll come along.”

Lauren looked at him and frowned. “Y’all don’t have to. I’m sure she’s just on the patio.”

He ignored her argument entirely and just headed for the doors, causing Lauren to roll her eyes and follow along behind him. There was, surprisingly, no one out there under the lights and shining stars, but she could see people wandering through the incredible gardens Loki had created.

“I don’t see her,” Thor said, a frown darkening his features.

“She’s shouldn’t be out here at night alone.” Lauren started down the stairs. “Thor, check the garden, I’ll see if she’s gone ‘round the side of the house.”

“Lauren,” he grabbed her arm, “we should look together.”

“Why? We can cover twice as much ground and find her faster.” She shook off his hand. “Unless there’s somethin’ you’re not tellin’ me?”

It was like a mask descended over his face where the smile that appeared on his lips didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course not. Just… stay close to the house and if anything feels wrong, call for Loki.” He cupped her cheek. “Promise me.”

“Thor? What’s goin’ on?” His insistence was frightening and made her need to find Sara all the stronger.

“Nothing. Nothing, darling. But if something worries you, call for Loki.” He squeezed her shoulder gently before heading into the garden.

She stood a moment longer watching him disappear beyond the closest hedge, wondering what it was she kept missing before shaking it off and heading around the side of the house. The sounds of the party and lights slowly faded as she made her way along the flower beds and over the short grass. The heels of her shoes caught in the lawn every few steps, elevating her frustration with Sara who knew better than to leave the house at night without an adult.

By the time Lauren got to the stairs she and Loki had used the day she’d led him on his tour of the farm, she’d grown so frustrated with her feet, she propped herself against the handrail and removed her shoes. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d walked barefoot across the grounds, and she doubted it would be the last.

Once she’d gathered the bottom of her gown, Lauren stepped out with much more confidence and freedom, making it around the back of the house in time to see a flash of pink and a glimmer of sparkles disappear into the hedge maze. “Sara Marie! You get your glittery behind back here, missy!” she called out but growled in frustration when the child appeared not to hear her.

Lauren darted across the grass and skirted the pool, arriving at the maze only to find the child had, again, disappeared. “Sara Marie!”

A giggle came from farther into the maze.

“Girly, you get your pink, shimmery behind out here,” Lauren huffed striding deeper into the roses.

“Come see, Aunt Lu!” came Sara’s voice, even deeper still into the maze.

“Sara Marie Avirette! I will so warm your behind if you don’t get yourself back to me right this moment!” Lauren barked. As she rounded the next twist of the maze, she found Sara seated in the center of the row cuddling a little white and a little black kitten. The third one of grey poked its head out of the cardboard box sitting open beside her.

“Look, Aunt Lu! Aren’t they precious?”

“Sara,” Lauren sighed, sinking to her knees beside the girl. “They’re adorable, but you’re gonna make yourself itchy handlin’ those kitties.”

“I know,” she pouted. “But they’re so cute. You think Mr. Teddy would want ‘em for the barn?”

“I’m sure he would,” Lauren said, taking the white kitten from her niece and placing it back in the box. She gave the little grey one a scratch beneath the chin before adding the black to the bunch and closing the box. They mewed pitifully, but Lauren ignored them in favour of turning hard eyes on Sara. “Now, missy. What were you thinkin’ comin’ out here at night in the dark? You know better than that.” The moon was quite full and the sky mostly free of cloud allowing the moonbeams to light the area nicely, but that was beside the point.

Sara fidgeted with her wand, sending glitter spilling everywhere. “I just… I wanted to see the kitties.”

A shiver traced Lauren’s spine. “Sara… who told you about the kittens?”

“Um,” she hummed, looking down at her dress. “A man.”

Lauren was quick to get to her feet, grabbing the box and Sara’s arm in the motion. “What man? Where?”

“Aunt Lu?” Sara whimpered, Lauren’s own sudden fear and action spilling over onto her niece.

“Who told you about the kittens, Sara?” she asked, trying to control the fast beating of her heart, but when a branch snapped back at the entrance to the maze, Lauren jumped and pulled Sara deeper into the shadows, leaving her sparkling gold shoes behind.

“He… he was there. With the kids. He asked about Usun. He made balloon animals,” Sara said.

She shivered, and Lauren paused long enough to crouch and cup her cheek. “Okay, sugar cube. That’s good. You tell me the rest once we get out of here. Right now we’re gonna play a little game. Were gonna be super quiet and get out of the maze without makin’ a sound. You do that with me?” Sara nodded, her eyes big and full of fear. “Good girl,” Lauren patted her cheek and took her hand tightly.

Boots on the path had Lauren pulling Sara down a side trail. She’d grown up in this maze, knew it like the back of her hand. Knew every secret exit, every hiding place, and every dead end. But when the second set of boots and then a third joined in Lauren felt real fear fill her.

Someone had lured Sara into the maze. Who? Why? For what purpose? At this point, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting out of there before whoever they were caught up. She stopped at a cross space where four trails intersected and listened.

A shadow moved, and she knew she was out of time. With Sara clutched close, she darted across the opening and down the side path where she the small gate was hidden in the vines as boots sped up and closed in.

“Aunt Lu,” Sara whispered.

“Shh,” Lauren hushed her as she got to the gate.

“But Aunt Lu.” Sara tugged her hand.

“After, hun,” Lauren whispered, reaching into the hedge.

“But Aunt Lu. Mama had Lafayette lock up all the gates out of the maze,” Sara whispered back.

Lauren whipped her head around to look at Sara. “What?”

Sara gave a firm nod, her big blue eyes full of fear.

Lauren looked back the way they’d come in horror as she’d led them into a dead end. “Oh, shit,” she whispered, backing away from the opening and shoving Sara behind her. The stone on her chest warmed, and Lauren gasped in relief. “Loki,” she whispered, remembering Thor’s words. “Loki!”

***

He’d spent another ten minutes searching the room, parting ways with Bucky to cover more ground before he’d finally had to give up. Sara had successfully disappeared, but the unfortunate sense of impending disaster had not left him. Instead, Loki turned his attention to the room and sought out Lauren and his brother only to have Natasha plant herself in his way.

Apparently, it was the night for it.

“Ms. Romanoff. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Why Lauren?”

“Excuse me?” Loki muttered.

“I want to know why it had to be Lauren?” she asked.

“Jealous, Natasha?” he quipped.

She snorted. “Hardly.”

“Then what does it matter? It is her. She was the choice of the fates for me. I have no say in it.”

“So she’s your consolation prize? The one you’re stuck with?”

He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and drew her in by it until they were nose-to-nose. “Do not ever speak so of my _Ástvinur_ again. She is more than a prize. She is a treasure. My greatest hope and joy. She is my heart and soul and whether you understand that or not means little to me. But I swear to all the Gods, _Natalia_ ,” he snarled, “hurt my woman with your snide remarks and hate and I will make you pay for it.”

“You don’t scare me, Loki,” she hissed.

“Then you are a fool.” He released her as swiftly as he caught her. “I hold no grudge against you, Natasha, but I won’t tolerate your attitude any longer. My _Ástvinur_ is my salvation and my forgiveness. The past is now behind me. The only one it hurts by stirring it up is you.”

“He’s right, Nat.”

The voice of the Captain stiffened Loki’s spine. “I do not need you to defend me, Captain, when I know your feelings parallel hers.”

“My feelings and reservations are mine to deal with and work through,” Steve said as he stepped closer. “You hurt a lot of people, Loki, but you’ve also done a lot of good. You’re trying, I see that, but Lauren is special to us all, and she’s only human. You can’t fault us for worrying about her.”

“She’s no longer human,” Loki muttered. “She is of Asgard and will be much harder to injure or kill in the future. Such should please you.”

The Captain heaved a heavy sigh. “I know what it’s like to go from being one thing and suddenly become something else completely. It can be hard to adjust. I just want to make sure she’s feeling okay about all of this.”

Loki could feel himself seethe and barely held it in check. Thor was right. Once he knew Lauren was his _Ástvinur_ , he should have taken her to Asgard. “I find your implications insulting, Captain.”

Steve’s eyes widened. “Pardon?”

“You speak so highly of _trust,_ but you fail in following through in such matters. If Lauren were at all unhappy, if she were hesitant for even a moment about what being bound to me meant, the binding would remain unfinished. We would still be in the final stage, and your words would have found me pressing a dagger to your throat.”

“Loki,” Steve held up his hands.

“Humans,” Loki hissed, shaking his head. “You see everything so black and white. You know nothing of the centuries of struggle I have faced. Nothing of the darkness I fought. _Nothing_! I fell. I admit it. I atone for it constantly. But my forgiveness is handed to me in a most incredible woman, forgiveness granted me by beings far outside your realm of understanding. I will no longer allow my past mistakes to rule my future, and if the Avengers cannot see I will do everything in my power to keep Lauren safe, happy, and content, then you no longer need me on this team. At that point, I will remove us to Asgard where the people understand and cherish the glorious creature Lauren is and will become.”

“Now hold up a minute,” Steve said, stepping closer. “You can’t call it black and white when we’re still trying to catch up. We knew nothing about this… quirk of your nature until Thor had to tell us. We don’t understand, but we’re trying to.”

“Then try harder!” Loki snapped. “Nothing in this happened without her consent or complete understanding. Every step taken was Lauren’s choice. She is the one who finished what I had begun, and she is the one who could have walked away at any time.”

“If she knew you’d die she never would have walked away,” Natasha scoffed. “Some choice.”

“And that would be why I didn’t tell her.” Loki glared her down. “You can hate me, Natasha, but in this one thing, you will never be able to dishonour her or me. There is nothing false about an _Ástvinur_. There is no faking the bond. There is no lying to her. Distrust me as you like, but you are wrong. She is my heart, my soul, and my bounded. In Asgard, they celebrate my good fortune.” He shook his head. “Here… they only question me for it.”

Loki walked away, catching a glimpse of Barnes’s angry scowl as he slipped into the interior of the house, needing away from all the people for a few moments, and reached out to find his love, needing to feel something other than _dirty_ after defending himself again in what felt like an unending battle.

The hair on the back of his neck lifted as fear seared through him from the heart stone. “Lauren!” His head whipped toward the back of the house.

He appeared in a flash of green and gold in the hedge maze before Lauren who sobbed in relief.

“What is it? Are you hurt?” Loki asked as he gathered her into his arms.

“Get us out of here!” she whispered harshly, clinging to Sara.

He didn’t even hesitate. Within seconds they were back in the house, standing in the music room. “What’s going on, darling? What happened?” Loki sent a wisp of magic out the door, something he’d used in the past to call his brother to him when there was trouble. The responding crack of thunder let him know Thor was on his way.

Lauren thrust a box at him as she turned and fell to her knees to gather Sara close and cling to her tightly. “Are you alright, sugar?”

The child immediately burst into tears. “Lauren?” Loki knelt next to her. “Darling, you’re scaring me. What happened?”

She waved at the box in his hands. “Someone lured Sara into the maze with that.”

He could already tell the contents of the box as they mewled from within. “Who?” he asked, softly and without tone, careful to keep from frightening the crying child.

“Someone entertain’ the kids. Oh, god! Benny!” Enormous jade eyes full of fear snapped to his.

Sara only shook her head. “He stayed with Usun.”

She turned wet eyes his way, and Loki reached to take her from Lauren as Thor made the doorway. He shot his brother a look that had him waiting quietly, holding back the arrival of the others members of his supposed team.

“Sara, precious,” Loki said and brushed the tears from her face. “Tell me about the man who told you about the kittens.”

“He made the balloon animals,” she whispered. “He made me and Lily kittens but mine popped at the very last second, and he didn’t have any more pink balloons. I was sad, but he said if I could keep a secret, he knew where there were real kitties I could play with.”

The look of horror on Lauren’s face made his stomach burn with rage. “Have you ever seen this man before? The one who told you of the kittens.” She shook her head. “Sara, darling, why did you come out through the party?” Perhaps it wasn’t a relevant question, but he was curious, and though he’d like to storm down to the children’s area and rip the male limb from limb, he highly doubted the man was even still in the house.

“Sue Ann caught me headin’ for the back door,” she said, ducking her chin down.

“Sara Marie,” Lauren started on a shaky breath. “Y'all are in so much trouble.”

“I know,” Sara’s chin wobbled, and she clung all the tighter to Loki.

“Lauren,” Loki murmured, touching her hand. “What were you doing out there, love?”

“Thor and I saw her sneak out but by the time we got outside she was already gone. He went into the garden, and I went around the house, saw her go into the maze and followed. Once I figured out… figured out she’d been lured outside,” she took a shaky breath, “I made to get us out of there, but there were already… already people in the maze. I know that maze like my own name, Loki, and would have got us out if… if Marabeth hadn’t locked all the gates.”

“Nat, Bucky, and I will check the maze and the grounds,” Steve said before anyone could move. “Tony and Thor will check the kids. Loki…”

“I will care for my _Ástvinur_ , Captain. As is my duty and my honour.” The cold harshness of his tone did not go unnoticed, but no one questioned it.

“I’m gonna take Sara upstairs,” Lauren said softly. “We’ve had more than enough excitement, haven’t we, sugar cube?” She nodded slowly, her head on Loki’s shoulder. “And someone needs to take the kittens to the barn. They can’t stay in the house.”

Bucky walked into the room and gave Lauren a wink as he swept the box up.

The group dispersed, each with the understanding they would meet back in the music room once they were finished. The look Loki shared with Thor needed no words to convey his wishes.

Once they reached Sara’s room, Loki simply changed her clothes as he was want to do with Lauren, who shooed the girl into her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. It was then Lauren turned to him, one arm wrapped around her body, her other hand over her mouth as she finally lost the battle with her fear.

“Someone tried to take the baby,” she whispered hoarsely. “What the fuck, Loki?”

“Shhh, darling, my brave, beautiful, Lauren. Because of you, it didn’t happen.” Still, the very idea of her being in such danger left him breathless.

“What the hell was this?” she asked, wrapping her arms around him.

“I do not know, _elskan min_. Not yet, but I will find out. I swear it.” He pressed his cheek against hers and stroked her back soothingly. “Just breathe, my love.”

“When I went to look for Sara, Thor was reluctant to let me go alone.” She pushed back to look at him. “Is there somethin’ goin’ on? Is that why the others are really here?”

“The others are here because they are nosy and can’t keep out of other peoples business.” He sighed softly and sat on Benny’s bed, pulling Lauren down with him. “My mother, Frigga, was not just a great warrior and sorceress. Like your Gran, Frigga was a seer. Lately, since I started our bond,” he gently touched her torque, “I have been having… feelings.”

“You’re gettin’ visions?” she asked in surprise.

“No, not visions. More… premonitions. Something is coming. I don’t know what only that it will be… bad. Bad enough to have Odin sending a murder of ravens as an omen. Tonight, when I caught sight of Sara, it was as if she was the spark which would ignite the forthcoming bomb.”

“Thor knew?”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t tell me?” she asked, sounding upset.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” he sighed. “This has never happened to me before. I don’t know whether to trust these feelings. I don’t know if they are things set in stone, or fluid and changing with the choices I make. It is all very… confusing and you had enough on your plate with everything else. Thor’s arrival, though unexpected, has greatly settled my concern.” Until now.

She gave a small bark of laughter and leaned her head against his. “Thor called me a truth speaker tonight. Guess we’re both gonna have a few surprises along the way, hm?”

He chuckled softly. “A truth speaker for the God of Lies. I like the irony.”

“I figured you would,” she whispered, her mouth finding his, a tender brushing of lips. “Thank you for findin’ me. Us.”

“Lauren… I will always find you. There is nowhere in the nine realms I couldn’t find you as long as you wear this.” His fingers landed on his heart stone.

“If I don’t have it on?”

“I will still feel you, my heart, our bond makes that possible, but this is like a beacon. For that reason, it is impossible to remove for any but me.”

Her brow arched. “So I’m permanently collared by the God of Mischief?”

“It is only fitting as you hold my heart, beloved, a permanent possession I could never remove. You own me, heart and soul, pet,” he whispered against her lips.

“Loki,” Lauren sighed and melted into his kiss.

It lasted only a short second before the light clicking off in the bathroom preceded Sara’s return. Lauren rose from his lap to fuss and cuddle and tuck the child in tight. When he’d changed her clothes, Loki had made certain to remove every speck of hair or dander from her, determined she not suffer in any way from her encounter with the kittens, though Lauren handed down a harsh punishment in no dessert for a week for leaving the house without permission. Likely it would have been worse if not for the scare.

Little miss Sara was a bright child. Loki knew she was well aware of what could have befallen her tonight had Lauren and he not been here.

When Benny arrived with Usun in tow, Loki took a moment to converse quietly with the puppy. The _dyrehund_ had whined pitifully, but Loki couldn’t fault the pup. He’d stayed with the boy, and Sara had been the one in the wrong. In the future, stricter rules would be put into effect.

He’d left quietly after that, determined to return to the music room and see what the others had found. He didn’t expect much, but perhaps they would get lucky.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing, Angst, Talk of Drug Use and Abuse

 

* * *

On his way back to the music room Loki searched every inch of the house, startling a few maids when he popped into rooms unannounced. There was nothing, and no one had seen anything suspicious or out of the ordinary besides himself appearing out of thin air. Still, as he went, he warded every door and every window until all that remained open were those meant to have guests going in and out. Should anyone besides the household staff, family, or Avengers venture beyond what he'd marked, or try in any way to reach the family wing where the children slept, he would know instantly. The house now hummed with his magic.

The others were waiting when he arrived. “Anything?” Loki asked, already knowing the answer by the looks on the faces of those around him.

“Nothing,” Steve said. “A few tracks in the grass and Nat found Lauren’s shoes, but otherwise everything was quiet.”

“No one saw anything down at the barns, either. Left the box with someone who said they’d take the kittens to Teddy,” Bucky added.

Thor leaned against the piano. “The women with the children said the man was new. Neither of them had seen him at one of these events before. His accent was not from around here, and he arrived late. But he came dressed as a clown and performed well, so they thought nothing of it. Simply assumed Magnolia had hired an extra entertainer this year though she hasn’t in previous ones. They did a quick headcount and all the children except Sara were present. We played it off as Sara leaving to show off her balloon animal to Lauren and a little concern she'd done so, so easily resulting in new vigilance on their part. But this,” he threw the discarded clown suit and wig on the floor, “was found in the bathroom nearest the children. Along with makeup saturated facial tissues and this.” A cufflink winked in Thor's hand.

“There are a few cameras around the house,” Tony muttered, giving the thin piece of plastic that was his phone a flick. “Enough to find this.”

The image of the hallway which led to where the children were playing appeared. Down it walked a man in a suit, his hair dark and body turned away from the camera. He ducked swiftly into the bathroom, a protruding belly present. A quick time jump showed him coming back out, dressed in the costume laying on the floor, nowhere near as fat as previously.

“Clever,” Natasha murmured. “Disguise the costume as a beer gut. Freeze it there.” She took a step closer and peered at the image. “Even the makeup is perfect. This was no amateur. Likely he stashed his suit in there while he made friends with the kids.”

“No camera in that room but when I backtrack…” A new image appeared, the patio earlier in the evening when the arrivals were coming in groups. “He waltzed right on in,” Tony said, displeasure in every syllable.

“Freeze it again,” Nat said. “Gimme both images.”

The two faces appeared together, and Bucky swore. “Prosthetics!”

“Not in this one.” Natasha pointed at the clown. “I'd bet money they were water soluble and went down the toilet.”

“What about when he left?” Steve asked.

Tony gave his phone a swipe. “The door she should have gone out is there, straight ahead and just around that corner, but little miss pink is caught… here.”

They watched Sara run nearly straight into Sue Ann who gave her a scolding and shooed her away down the hall.

“Something about… Miss Lauren’s not going to be outside… who you think you're fooling,” Bucky trailed off. “Not Clint. Can't read lips that well.”

“Better than me,” Thor offered.

As Sue Ann and Sara left the frame, the smiling clown stepped out the door and quickly made his way back to the bathroom. A few moments later, a much more sleek gentleman walked out in a suit, his paunch missing, as he made his way toward the back of the house. There was a brief pause as he lifted his wrist to his mouth.

“You see her… something indistinct… on the move,” Bucky continued to translate.

“There are no cameras pointed where we need them but… I found a handily passing satellite and hacked us an image. It’s not great, but it's something.”

“Tony.” Steve sighed.

“What? It’s one of ours, so who cares?”

Loki certainly didn’t as he stepped closer to have a better look. So far he approved of how things had been handled. There was no point in starting a panic when it was unneeded. The men were gone, empty-handed, and the strong foreboding had gone with them.

The image he examined with care. It was early in the moment. Lauren just arriving at Sara’s location. Two bodies were waiting further back in the maze, while a third was exiting the house. “Look, here is a four, and here a fifth. Both stationed to watch the main exits of the house.”

“Sniper positions,” Bucky agreed. “It's where I'd a planted myself. Surprised you can see them. Pretty damn dark.”

“There is darkness where there should not be. Lauren and I rode this trail,” he pointed out the path, “And this vantage point makes the most sense.” He indicated the other hard to see dark spot.

“Roll it forward,” Steve commanded.

“Still images only so it will be jerky,” Tony warned.

They jumped through, watching Lauren run, move through the maze with a clear goal in mind. The two in the tree line never moved as the other three closed in. It appeared they had also studied the maze at some point as they made their way through it with relative ease.

Loki's fists slowly clenched as remembered fear filled him.

Finally, the image of Lauren and Sara vanished as his arrival and their departure was very quick, but how close the men had been to his _Ástvinur_ angered him further. The men remained visible for one more frame before the two in the trees vanished, the three in the maze crossed the grounds, and all disappeared, their prey now gone.

“Fast,” Bucky muttered. “Under three minutes for extraction. They were gone before we hit the door.”

“Definitely professionals,” Natasha agreed.

“But why Sara?” Loki asked, trying to settle his rage. For the moment things were calm. Usun was with the children, and the hound would not let harm come to them. Lauren was with them and safe, and the house was so well guarded it seemed to breathe with magic.

“Tony, you said the mother was a lawyer? Could it have something to do with her or a case she's working?” Steve asked.

“Possibly. She’s had some big league prosecutions in the past,” Tony muttered, flicking through files on his phone. “She’s not currently on or worked any cases lately that would see her on someone’s shit list that I can tell, but I’ll dig deeper, and the husband’s a finance guy,” he squinted a little at something he was reading, “a shitty one by the looks of it from Annadale’s accounts. Pepper’s going to have her work cut out for her if she ever took a look at this mess. Probably best to have FRIDAY just run the numbers. You hear that, my girl? Be a dear and clean up this mess so it makes sense.”

“On it, boss,” came the voice of the AI.

“Thank you, darling. You know you’re my favourite.”

“I'll be certain to inform Ms. Potts of your opinion, sir,” she teased in her way.

“Just for that, you can run facial on our clown at the same time,” he huffed.

“Like I wasn't already?” she quipped.

“The brother-in-law has aspirations toward your politics,” Loki murmured, stepping back from the image as it disappeared.

“Governor, I’m aware. Still, he’s nowhere near a position of power. He’s a finance guy and a crappy one from what I can see.” Tony flicked the phone again and had new images pop up. “Samuel Avirett is nothing more than a CFP. How the hell does he expect to break into politics? He’s got no military experience, his major was all wrong, he’s never volunteered a day in his life, and from what I remember… he’s an ass.”

“I agree with you there,” Loki muttered. “Wait…” He reached up and pulled down one of Tony’s floating files. “He works for Montgomery? Doing what?”

“CFP. He’s a certified financial planner.”

“Money,” Loki hissed, feeling a twist of foresight hovering just out of his reach. There was something there. Something insidious. “It all comes back to money.”

“What do you mean, brother?” Thor asked, straightening off the piano.

“Lauren’s ex. His plan to get her back had to do with money. His lack of it, and his owing of it to the wrong people.”

Bucky shifted enough to catch his eye. “This have to do with that text you sent me?”  

“Yes.” Loki nodded.

“You take care of it?” The cold of the Winter Soldier rested in those words.

“Of course.” Loki wasn’t insulted by his question, knowing how dear Lauren was to the man.

“What am I missing?” Steve inquired.

“Nothing of relevance. George Montgomery is no longer in the picture. He was sent packing with his tail tucked firmly between his legs,” Loki stated. “However, this connection between Montgomery and the Avirett’s cannot be overlooked. Something about it… resonates for me.”

“You gotta feelin’?” Bucky asked.

“Oh, not another one!” Natasha huffed. “It’s bad enough with the two fossils!”

“Say what now?” Tony asked at the same time.

Thor walked across the room to stand with Loki. “My brother has inherited our mother’s gift of foresight thanks to his binding. He is showing the makings of a great Seer. One equal to her.”

“You boast of things yet unknown, Thor. So far, they are feelings, impressions. Premonitions if you like. Sara’s appearance at the party tonight… aroused this state. The storm that is brewing around this house is another. And now, a third arises with this,” he flicked the file back toward the others where they all winked out of existence. “What happened tonight with Sara, it is only the beginning. What comes next… will see blood spilled.”

“You’re sure of this?” Steve asked.

“As sure as I can be. This is all very… new. I am not Frigga.” Admitting to his lack of knowledge left a poor taste in his mouth.

“How do you inherit power from a woman who wasn’t actually your mother?” Tony asked.

The bluntness of the question, whether intended or not, hit Loki like a physical blow. “Just because she did not birth me, does not mean she was not my mother. We shared a bond through magic.”

“Great, more bonds,” Natasha muttered.

“Shut up, Nat,” Bucky sighed. “Your cynicism is showing.”

“Pardon me for having _feelings_ on the matter,” she huffed.

“Natasha,” Thor said, and it was a rumble in the room, a sound of power and displeasure. “I will not have this conversation with you again. Loki is not who he was. He is the restored prince of Asgard, and as you respect me, you will respect him.”

“Respect is earned, Thor,” Loki murmured, his voice the cooling breeze which rode upon the thunder’s wave. “I have yet to earn that from Ms. Romanoff. Perhaps I never will. All I seek is the holding of her tongue around my _Ástvinur_.”

Bucky chuckled softly at the stunned faces around him. “You two been holding out on us?”

“Thor and I have had centuries of time to perfect our ability to work together. We were brothers far longer than we were not.” A fact most of them had forgotten.

“I’d like to see that,” Steve said cautiously, but the small smile on his lips showed he meant it sincerely.

“Perhaps one day you will, Captain, but first this,” Loki waved his hand at the costume, “incident needs to be resolved. Tomorrow is the fair and such in the town. Lauren has already promised the children they could go. I know she will not want to change her mind but will if she has any reason to doubt their safety.”

“Then we go with her. If they came at the kid once, they’ll likely try again,” Bucky said.

“And if they don't?” Natasha asked.

“Lauren and I will extend our stay until the matter is resolved. I will not allow anyone to take or hurt these children.”

“Nice of you to be so worried about someone else's children. You certainly weren't a few years ago.”

“Natasha!” Lauren gasped, having arrived silently in the doorway.

The blood drained from Nat’s face. “Lauren… I…”

Loki turned to see her standing there looking pale and dishevelled. The hem of her dress was dirty and too long without her shoes, her makeup was smudged, and her hair had come loose to tumble in waves and curls over her shoulder. Yet, still, she was radiant.

“Darling,” he said softly, moving toward her.

When he arrived at her side, she clutched at his arms like her very being depended on it. “Loki, I would really like it if you’d find Pepper and talk to her about that thing we discussed.”

“Lauren-” he began, but her fingers landed lightly on his lips, stifling his words.

“I have somethin’ to say to the team, my love,” she murmured, gliding her fingertips over his jaw. “And I’d very much appreciate you lettin’ me do it alone while you squared things with Pepper.”

There was a fire in her eyes, an unholy anger he had never before witnessed. It sent a shiver of heat up his spine. Her touch burned a path through his blood until it felt as if her fingers were wrapped around the rapidly growing erection in his drawers. “My Valkyrie,” he whispered, turning his lips to her palm. “Let me fix your dress before I go. Will you find me in the ballroom when you are finished? I’ve warded every inch of the house. I promise the children are as safe as if I held them in my arms.”

“I will, and I know. I can feel you in the walls, Loki. I want a dance with my husband,” she said just as softly. “I want a moment of peace and a minute to forget what could have happened. I want you.”

“Darling,” he sighed. “How do you expect me to walk away now?”

“One step at a time, Loki.” She smiled and gently patted his cheek.

His magic swirled up as he ducked his head and kissed her deeply, taking his time to clean and repair what her frantic flight had wrought while he enjoyed the sweet flavour of her lips. When he finished, she was as pristine and immaculate as she had been earlier. “One last thing,” he said as he called her shoes to his hand and knelt at her feet to help her into them.

It was deliberately done, something which caused his brother to inhale sharply in surprise, for Loki knelt to no one. He could have easily returned her shoes to her with magic, but this way he had a chance to make sure she hadn't injured her feet without yet knowing, for even now he could feel the adrenaline spiking for her.

Once he’d finished, Lauren stroked her fingertips over his cheek. He caught her hand and kissed her palm again before rising to his feet and pressing another to her cheek where he whispered in her ear, “Be gentle.”

She only eyed him with that same fire when he pulled away and left the room, not bothering to listen. She’d asked for him to step away and he would.

***

Lauren took a deep breath and turned to face the people she cherished most in the world. “This is so not the time for this. It's not the time for petty bickerin’ and squabbles, but y’all can't seem to let it go, so fine. Let's have it out. By now, I’m sure y’all are well aware of my life, my family, and where I came from. Why I ever thought I could keep it a secret,” she shook her head at her own foolish desires, “I don’t know.”

“Lauren,” Steve said, stepping toward her.

She pinned him in place with a look. “Shut up, Steven. I get to talk now.”

His mouth gaped for a moment before his teeth closed with a click.

“Four years ago I walked into the tower scared out of my ever-lovin' mind. I had no idea what to expect when Pepper asked me to come work for Tony. Hard work? Sure. Long hours? Most likely. People I thought were intimidatin’ as hell? Absolutely.” She looked from Tony to Natasha, to Steve, and finally to Bucky for whom she smiled. “What I didn’t expect to find was a home and a family. People who I'd come to cherish and who cared for me like my own… couldn’t.”

When her chin quivered, Bucky crossed the room and took her hand in support. “We love you too, Gilli.”

“I know, Buck. That’s why this hurts so damn much.” The tears tipped over and dripped from her chin when she turned her gaze to the three across the room. “I found out from Thor tonight that I’m what he calls a truth speaker, so let’s talk a little truth. Loki ain’t what you think he is. Not at all. He’s good, and kind, and carin’, and he loves me with his whole heart. I love you, Nat, but this mean, nasty thing you’ve got goin’ on… it’s beneath you.”

“Lauren.” The redhead’s mouth also closed quickly when Lauren glared her down.

“You’re tryin’ to shove a square peg in a round hole, Nat. Loki won’t fit no matter how hard you go at him. That person you saw in New York? That man who stood in Germany and demanded people kneel? That’s not him. It never was.”

“Lauren, we were there. We saw it! You can’t defend someone from something that happened!” Tony snapped.

“Y’all are so quick to judge, yet each and every one of you are missin’ the big picture. You’re blinded by your own experiences, but you forget the most important part.” She shook her head sadly.

“What part, Lauren?” Steve asked. “What are we missing?”

The smile she gave him was sad. “I thank you, Captain, for attemptin’ an effort. You have your own misgivin’s about Loki, but you do try.” She turned her gaze to Thor. “I adore you Thor, but even you’ve missed it.”

“Little sister? Tell me?” he asked, taking her other hand.

“I can’t tell you. It’s not my story to tell.” She turned finally to Bucky. “You are,” her breath hitched, “my best friend beside Sadie. I love you like the brother you’ve become, James. From the very start, you’ve been in my corner and on my side. You’ve trusted me when my choice was the untenable one for everyone else. You’ve given Loki the benefit of the doubt when you didn’t have to. You defend him, and you offer him inclusion when it would be really, really easy to turn away. I will never be able to thank you for that.” Pressing up on her toes, she kissed his cheek.

“That sounds suspiciously like you’re saying goodbye, Gilli,” Bucky said softly. “You aren’t thinking of leaving us now, are you?”

“I’m goin’ to Asgard once this is resolved.” She held up her hand when the protests started. “This has been really hard on my _Ástvinur_. Really hard. Havin’ so few people in either of my families welcome or appreciate him has made it that much harder. You don’t have to like it. You don’t have to understand it. But you will have to accept it. This is my life, and Loki is my choice!” she snapped, losing some of the sad as anger surged. “I ain’t like the rest of you. I’m not a genius, or a spy, or a super soldier, but I’m not some blonde, bimbo Barbie who doesn’t know her own goddamn mind! I am not a child, or a possession, or somethin’ in need of protectin’, and havin’ y’all second-guess the decision I made, one which made me _stupidly_ happy before y’all showed up, really pisses me off!”

“Lauren, you have to let us catch up,” Steve said, holding up his hands pleadingly.

“Then catch the hell up, Steven! Cause nothin’ any of you say is gonna change the fact that Loki is mine! Mine, by the Fates! Mine!” She stomped her foot and at the same time in the distance, the horses fussed causing the sound to register faintly beyond the windows. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence, so when the noise didn’t continue, Lauren ignored it. If it was someone creeping around who didn’t belong, the thoroughbreds were spooky enough to continue their ruckus.

She took a deep breath when Bucky squeezed her hand. “You’re the family I never thought I’d find. I cherish each and every one of you, but if y’all can’t accept that Loki and I are together and we are happy, then I won’t be back to the tower.”

“Lauren!” Natasha gasped, looking horrified.

“You’re my friend, Nat, a real good one, but Loki is my future. If y’all can’t let this go, if you keep whippin’ this dead horse, you’ll leave me no choice.”

“Why can’t you tell us what we’re missing, then?” asked Tony, drawing her attention from a distressed Natasha.

“You’re the genius, Tony. Figure it out.”

He huffed and turned away. “This is stupid. You leave for four days and everything changes.”

“Imagine what it would be like if I was gone for months,” she quipped and turned away. “Lost and thought forgotten… or dead.”

“Lauren?” Thor grabbed her arm before she could leave. “This… this you speak of Loki.”

She arched a brow and shrugged a shoulder. “It is not my story to tell, Thor.”

“Little sister, I beg you. What didn’t he tell me?” Thor pleaded.

Lauren only reached up to cup his cheek. “Ask him.”

“What? Ask him what, Lauren?”

Thor’s eyes beseeched her, but she couldn’t break Loki’s confidence and only sighed. “You know what to ask him.”

“His Jotun form?”

She tilted her head as a final swell of words seemed to buzz on her tongue like bees wishing to be free. Lauren looked back at the rest, at the family hurting as she was. “I can’t give you the answers you seek, but only one more question. Why then? Why wait so long to invade Earth when Loki had fallen from the Bifröst _months_ prior.”

She stepped away from everyone and lifted her chin. “Thank y’all for tonight. For lookin’ after Sara, and I’m sure for helpin’ figure this out because I sure as hell haven’t gotta clue what's happenin’. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t ask mama any questions about the-the balloon man. I saw the schedule for tonight and can assure you he wasn’t hired for this party. Who he was or where he came from…” she lifted helpless hands and let them fall, “I don’t know. Askin’ mama will only have her flyin’ into a panic.”

“What about your sister?” Bucky asked.

“I’ll deal with Marabeth,” Lauren said though she wasn’t looking forward to it. “I'll deal with all of them when this ends.”

“Lauren?”

She looked to a teary-eyed Natasha.

“Please don’t leave,” she whispered, striding across the expanse of the music room.

Lauren smiled sadly. “Your hate drives me away, Natasha.”

“I don’t… I just… Clint,” she sighed, and Lauren stiffened.

“You act like Clint was the only one the Chitauri hurt with the sceptre,” Lauren fairly snarled as she stepped back. “When you know _nothin’_ of anyone else’s pain.” She jerked her hands away from Natasha’s grasping ones and left the room nearly as angry as she had been when she’d arrived.

There was no way she could return to the party in this state and headed away from it, back to her father’s study where she knew she could escape for a moment to compose herself.

The whole sordid mess was too much. It felt as if someone had turned the world topsy-turvy and Lauren felt off-kilter. Completely at a loss. Adrift in an unknown sea. How was she ever again to find her balance in a world gone mad?

Nothing made sense. Nothing but Loki.

She gave the door to her father’s office a shove and stopped dead. “Jesus Christ, Priscilla!”

***

“What the hell is she talking about, Thor?” Tony snapped, clearly upset.

“I don’t know,” the big Asgardian sighed. “But there is something we have all overlooked, apparently.”

“Well, would you just ask him already!” Natasha huffed. “She can’t leave!”

Bucky scrubbed his hand over his face and sighed. “Yeah, Nat, she can. And if you keep pushing at her and snarking at Loki, she will. She’s just stubborn enough to go through with it. I don’t want to lose her any more than any of you, but she’s right. Your attitude sucks.”

“Bite me, Barnes,” she huffed but it was lacking conviction.

“Thor,” Steve spoke up, “Will you ask him? He’ll be more inclined to talk to you than he will one of us.”

“When the time is right.”

“Thor…” Steve sighed when the big blond only pulled himself up to his full height.

“You ask me to once again disrupt their binding day? After Lauren nearly loses a child, one she holds dear? After Loki could have lost them both? You want me to drag him to the side and demand answers to something he clearly does not wish to tell me? I won’t do it.” He shook his head. “Today should be full of joy, instead… Lauren’s eyes are washed with tears.”

“You can’t blame us for someone trying to take Sara,” Natasha said softly.

“No, but I can blame you for hurting Lauren more. He may not be your favorite person in the world, Natasha, but Loki is not the problem here.”

Hurt flashed over her face before she locked it all away.

“Look,” Bucky sighed, holding up his hands before anyone else could speak and cause more hurt feelings. “This is happening. It’s done. She made her choice and her choice was Loki. You can fight her, them, on this, or we can accept it and keep her in our lives while making room for Loki. I ain’t got the bias the rest of you do. I can only judge on what I’ve seen with my own eyes, and what I see is a man who loves deeply.”

“Buck.”

“Nah, punk. This time, you need to listen. They’ve been saying it since we got here. They are happy. Lauren isn’t stupid. We’ve all said she sees things we don’t from a different perspective, so if we trust her, why ain’t we trusting her now?”

Tony flopped down on the piano seat with a sigh. “I hate it when the Tin Man makes sense.”

“You just do not like being wrong,” Thor chuckled.

“Alright, jerk,” Steve huffed at Bucky. “If you’re so smart, what do we do?”

“You accept the inevitable and everyone figures out how to apologize to Lauren,” Bucky glared at the three of them, “and mean it.”

***

The man who had her sister propped on her father’s desk, plowing a furrow between her thighs gave a yelp as he pulled out.

“You’d best tuck and zip, Jasper Rubin!” Lauren huffed as she stormed into the room, dragged Cissy off the desk and thrust her into a chair while giving Jasper a solid swat to the back of his head. “And you’d best _pray_ I don’t tell your mama just what shenanigans you’ve been gettin’ up to tonight! Now git!”

He scurried red-faced from the room without so much as a word.

Lauren stomped after him and slammed the door with extreme prejudice before rounding on her sister. “What the hell has gotten into you?”

“Prissy bitch! What gives you the right to stop me havin’ some fun?” Cissy snorted.

Lauren frowned at her sister’s glassy eyes and walked closer to grasp Cissy’s chin and wrench her face up. “Are you drunk?”

Cissy only laughed.

“You're high!” Lauren gasped, almost falling into the chair beside her sister. “Oh, god… I don't need this tonight,” she moaned, dropping her head to her hands.

“Has Loki finally come to his senses and dumped your ass… boo… lu?” Cissy giggled.

“No, Priscilla!” Lauren snapped. “But someone tried to kidnap Sara, so how's about for once in your miserable life you think of someone other than yourself!”

“What?”

The word was soft, barely a whisper, and resonated fear. Lauren looked up in time to watch Cissy pale.

“You don't actually hate them, do you?”

Cissy scrubbed a hand over her mouth. “Of course not! I just… ain't good with them. They're loud and messy!”

“So were you once,” Lauren scoffed.

“Bite your tongue! I was not,” Cissy huffed.

“Yes, Priscilla, you were. You were messy and adorable and just so damn beautiful and all I wanted was to love you but all I got was hate!” Lauren sobbed as the entire night broke over her.  “I thought you were gonna be the answer to my every prayer because God saw fit to give me a little sister I could love and cherish when _my_ big sister only hated me, but then Marabeth filled your ear full of her lies, her _grey truths_ and pretty soon I was gettin’ it from all three of you. I'd a stood between you and mama, between you and Marabeth because, _goddammit,_ Priscilla, I loved you! I'd a given you the world, I'd a given you everythin’, but all you wanted was my shame and my tears.”

“You're so full of it,” she sighed. “You hated me cause mama loved me. She replaced you with me.”

“That ain’t nothin’ but more of Marabeth’s lies. At what point in time did it ever look like mama loved me?” Lauren asked as she wiped her face with her palm.

Cissy tossed her the box of tissues. “Before I was born.”

“You mean the years when I was punished for puttin’ my elbows on the tables or trackin’ dirt on floors she didn’t do the cleanin’ of? Or maybe when she'd whoop my ass cause I missed a dance step? Or maybe it was all the times she told me I was worthless cause I wasn't Marabeth. That I needed to do more, be better, try harder. Do you know how many times mama has hugged me, Cissy?”

Her sister's eyes were much less glassy, whatever high Cissy was riding appearing to fade as she stared at Lauren, her mouth open in shock while she shook her head.

“I do. I can count them on one hand. They were all public. A great showin’ of pride.” Lauren ticked them off on her fingers. “She hugged me at the Debutantes Ball, when I accepted George's proposal, at our engagement party, and tonight, right before she told me to break things off with Loki as I would now be pursuin’ Thor. So you tell me, Cissy. Does that sound like a woman who loves her knee-baby?”

“ _Sheeet_ …” Cissy breathed.

“Then there's the fact mama was fuckin’ George behind my back.” The words were out before she could stop them.

“Oh, my god…” Cissy gasped. “Does daddy know?”

Lauren sighed and rubbed her temples. “Yeah… now. He found out ‘bout the same time I did.”

“Fuckin’ hell…” she whispered.

“Watch your mouth, Priscilla.”

She snorted a small laugh. “You said it first.”

Lauren watched her a moment. “What is all this, Cissy? The drinkin’. The drugs. Screwin’ _Jasper Rubin_?” She shuddered in distaste. “What's goin’ on with you?”

“What happened with Sara?” she countered.

Lauren frowned, unwilling to let it go now that Cissy was actually talking to her, but gave Cissy what she knew. There had been a clown suit on the floor in the music room, so clearly, they’d found something but Lauren remained in the dark yet on what that was. “Someone lured her outside. I saw her leave the house and followed, managed to catch up to her in the maze but by the time I figured out what was happenin’, there were already people in the maze with us. Then Loki ended up havin’ to rescue us both cause Marabeth had all the gates out of the maze locked.”

“We have to do somethin’! Why are you just sittin’ here? We should be huntin’ the asshole down.” Cissy lurched to her feet.

Lauren shoved her back into the chair. “Priscilla… half the Avengers are stayin’ here or did you fail to notice Steve, Bucky, Tony, Natasha, and Pepper wanderin’ around along with Thor and Loki?”

“Huh?” she squeaked.

“How long have you been high?” Lauren barked. “What the hell did you take?”

“Just… just some E ‘bout the time you brought my dress. How else was I gonna make it through one of these things?”

“Freyja’s tits,” she sighed, rubbing her face. “How long’s this been goin’ on, Cissy? The booze and everythin’?”

“What's it matter?”

Lauren slammed her hand down on the arm of the chair. “It matters cause you're my sister and I care!”

“You didn't much care when your fiancé threatened to wring my neck!”

“Of course I did! I laid into him just fine after you left, but he ain't human! He's an Asgardian and they can all be a bunch of rock headed cavemen when they wanna be, but damn it, Cissy. You kinda deserved it. Threatenin’ me and tryin’ to steal from me? Why?”

“Because you left!” she bellowed. “You walked out and ran off to your big city life and left me here to become… _you_!” she sneered as tears threatened. “Who do you think took the brunt of it when mama and Marabeth needed a scapegoat? Who do you think they turned on with their crazy?”

“You didn't have to stay, Cissy.”

“And where was I supposed to go at seventeen? To you?” She snorted out a laugh. “Naw, it was easier to stay. I finished school. Made some new friends. Picked up a new hobby. All I had to do was look pretty and the boys came to me. Bought me drinks. Gave me stuff.” She leaned forward to pluck a few tissues from Lauren’s lap. “Partyin’ was easy. It was fun. Mama was easier to deal with when I was high. Smoke a little dope, and she could scream and cuss all she liked. What did I care? But then the parties weren't so fun anymore. I suddenly had to pay for my pleasure. The guys got me hooked, poor little rich girl, and my free ride was over. But Mama and Daddy are so damn _tight_ with their money! Every advance off a credit card had to be accounted for. Every withdrawal from the bank was another round of “What god awful thing you buy this time?” And there was no way I could access my trust fund. I've got three more years until it matures, and I can leave this shithole town. But by the time I realized the cost... it was too late. I liked my parties a little too much, the dope and the E. So I took this or that, whatever had value, and pawned it so I could party.”

Lauren could only stare in horror at her words. “Oh, Cissy…”

She smiled and it was brittle. “Tonight you walked in on my transactional relationship with Jasper. Ain't the first time he's paid his way between my thighs. The E just makes it all easier.”

The face of her sister was like that of a porcelain doll which had been dropped. It seemed to crack before Lauren’s very eyes until bit by bit it fell to pieces beneath a flood of tears.

“Oh, sugar,” Lauren reached out and grabbed her hands. “We're gonna get you some help.  Okay, Cissy? You gonna let me help you?”

“No.”

“Cissy!” Lauren gasped. “You gotta!”

“No, I don't, because I already helped myself.” She pushed to her feet. “I hated you, Lauren. Despised everythin’ about you. You left and I hit rock bottom. You came back and made me realize.... I hate what I’ve become more. I ain't ever been called a whore before, but I guess I am one.”

“Cissy, no!” Lauren pushed to her feet and reached out.

“What you said about growin’ up? Takin’ responsibility? You're right. I called a facility and checked myself in. I was already flyin’ so they offered to send someone to get me. She'll be here,” she glanced at the clock, “any minute.”

“Cissy… I,” Lauren swallowed back her tears.

“This was my last hurrah. I cleaned out my stash of E… I think… but would you…?” She looked up pleadingly.

Lauren nodded. “I'll make sure. I'll get Loki to make sure it's all gone. Promise me you'll text me when you get there?” She stepped into Cissy and hugged her tight.

“Yeah. Lauren?”

“Yeah, sugar?”

“I don't hate you. I envy your life.”

Lauren tucked her face into Cissy's hair. “I know, baby, but I'm so damn proud of you.” She stepped back and cupped Cissy’s cheeks. “I know not everythin’s gonna be resolved with a round of tears and I’m sorries, but I do love you, Cissy. You’re my little sister.”

Cissy’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “I’m sorry I hated you. I’m sorry I let Marabeth twist everythin’ up. I didn’t wanna believe her but… she made it…”

“Easy to believe. I know, hun.” Lauren brushed away her tears. “Marabeth’s good at that. I don’t blame you for believin’ her. You were just little.”

She shook her head. “You’re beau was right. I let her opinion matter more than mine. I’m sorry, Lauren.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Lauren said with a watery smile. “You go get help, and we’ll work on us when you get back.”

“Okay,” Cissy whispered.

“Wanna know a secret before you go?” Her blue eyes twinkled the way Lauren remembered seeing them do as a child.

“Gossip? Spill!”

“I'm not really engaged to Loki.”

“What!” she barked.

“We're already married,” Lauren whispered and giggled when Cissy smiled.

“You devious little bitch! I love it!” She pulled Lauren in for a second hug. “I do kinda hate you now for catchin’ such a hot hunk of beef. Even if he is scary as fuck.”

“Priscilla. Mouth,” Lauren sighed.

She only laughed. “You take care of those babies. We both know Marabeth won’t.”

“I have to go to Asgard for a while, but not until I know Sara and Benny are out of danger.”

A knock preceded Clara, one of the maids, peeking in the door. “Miss Cissy? The car’s out front and I've left your bag at the door.”

“... Lu?” Cissy whispered as she clung to Lauren. “I’m kinda scared.”

“You can do this Cissy. I'm so damn proud of you for makin’ the decision yourself.” She squeezed her tight a final time. “You want me to walk you out?”

“No. No, I think I've left you the tough job.”

Lauren frowned.

“Someone's gotta tell mama,” she quipped as she walked away. “I left the place I'm headed to looked up on my laptop.”

“Now I hate you,” Lauren called as the door swung shut on Cissy’s parting laughter, and she collapsed back into her chair.

The first sob was nothing more than a harsh shudder before Loki's arms were wrapped around her, and she was once more bawling on his shoulder.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing, Smut NSFW (18+), Angst

 

* * *

Loki lifted her gently and took her seat to hold her tightly in his lap. He had no words of wisdom. No soft-spoken bits of advice. Only his heart and his warmth and his love for the shattered woman in his embrace.

When she hadn’t returned, her presence slipping further into the house after he’d spoken with Pepper, Loki had quietly extracted himself from the party a second time as the others returned looking contrite - and in Natasha’s case upset - only to find Lauren kicking some male off her sister and out of her father’s study. It had been nothing to slip inside unseen and watch as she’d broken down, broke her sister down, and started to make amends, but by the Norns, it had hurt to watch her do so.

To watch her peel back layers of anger and distrust. To bare her own heart and soul. To watch her practically _bleed_ for Cissy when her sister poured out hers.

He’d lifted the curse on Cissy’s clothing within minutes of being there and worked quietly to see Cissy removed from the drug-induced fog so she would remember this moment with clarity. There was little he could do for the after effects and detox. Little he would do for though he pitied her, ending up in the same situation Lauren had escaped from, it had been the woman’s choice to turn to drugs and alcohol. Perhaps her stint in rehab would do Cissy good and shave a bit more edge off her attitude. Only time would tell if she and Lauren could come to a full resolution and become the family Lauren longed for.

It was easy for him to find the places Cissy had stashed her drugs. His magic rested in every inch of the house now. While he wasn’t familiar with them by any means, it wasn’t uncommon for the Avengers to come across stockpiles of the products while they were working. He knew enough about the chemicals in either substance to be able to hunt them down and remove them from the residence. When Cissy returned, not even the smallest amount in the most clever of hiding places would remain.

When Lauren’s tears finally slowed, and her hands unclenched from his hair, Loki only stayed quiet and waited.

“Wow,” she whispered, her head on his shoulder. “Some weddin’ day.”

He smiled but only a little. “Consider it… a rehearsal. There will be a celebration on Asgard, and one day, we will have your actual human custom wedding. This is just… practice.”

“Apparently a bad rehearsal is often considered good luck,” she sighed and curled tighter into him.

“I’m sorry, my heart,” he whispered in her hair. “Sorry for how much pain you’re in. If I could take it all away, I would.”

“I left her here…” Lauren whimpered.

“No, darling. You removed yourself from the abuse. You had no way of knowing they would turn their hatred on your sister.” Not when she’d always been a part of it.

“I should’a tried harder with her.”

“Lauren… dwelling on the past will only bring you heartache. What is done, is done. Now, we move forward. When Cissy returns, we will see she has the support she needs to stay away from that life.”

“We?” she said, lifting her head to look at him.

Her tear streaked face, and red eyes broke his heart. “Of course, darling. She’s your sister and whatever my previous feelings on the matter, rock-headed caveman that I am,” he looked at her with an arched brow, and she had the decency to blush, “they no longer apply. This,” he flicked his hand at the room, “gives me a better understanding of her motives. She took a step forward tonight, and while I cannot condone what she’s done to you in the past, I will judge her on her future actions, not the mistakes she’s made and apologized for.”

Her hand shook as she gently touched his face. “And that’s why you’ll always be a good man.”

He smiled and held her hand to his cheek. “But I am not a man, my sweet,” he teased her to make her smile. “I am a God. One who loves you with everything I am.”

Her smile was small but blinding when she gave it. She leaned forward to kiss him so softly, it felt as if her lips were the brush of a butterfly’s wings before her forehead was pressed against his. She breathed, and it was shaky, her entire body was, prompting him to wrap her up in a blanket made of magic and shining green fabric when her shock became apparent.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” he whispered, shifting his hand to her face where he ran his thumb over soft, wet skin and placed tender kisses to her lips, over and over again. “Just breathe, Lauren. Breathe me in and try to relax.”

The door pushed inward, and Loki fought back his bark of anger at the interruption when Hoyt appeared.

“Loki? Lauren?! What’s happened?” Hoyt shut the door at his back.

Loki stroked Lauren’s cheek when she tucked her head into the crook of his shoulder. “She’s had a fright and a shock. Sit down, Hoyt.”

The man didn’t argue, he merely sat in Cissy’s vacated chair.

The stress rolling off his _Ástvinur_ was astronomical. She felt strung tight, wrung out, and barely cognisant as she breathed through the pounding of her blood. Touching her cheek, Loki murmured, “I’m going to help, my love. Take the edge off before your heart beats straight from your chest. Alright?”

She gave a pitiful little whimper and a minute nod.

“Here, now,” he stroked his finger over her temple and numbed all her feelings for the moment. They would slowly return without the added shock, allowing her to cope and deal with them when she was in a better frame of mind. He would not keep them from her, but her obvious distress was making him anxious.

Her instant relief came in the form of her body slumping against his when she went limp. “Rest, darling, while I explain things to your father.”

“Cissy,” she whispered.

“Her, too.” She nodded again and curled further into him as Loki brought the blanket higher around her shoulders.

Once he had her settled, he looked to the man who was her father. The man with fear in his eyes and pain on his face.

Loki flicked his fingers at the small table between their chairs, causing a tumbler with two fingers of amber liquid to appear. “You will need that.”

Hoyt picked it up but didn’t drink.

There was no point in sugarcoating any of it, so Loki laid it all out. Everything from Sara’s near abduction, to what the team had already found, to the confrontation between Lauren and Cissy, culminating with Cissy’s leaving and intention of going to rehab.

He refilled Hoyt’s glass twice before the man waved him off. “Lord, Jesus Christ almighty,” he whispered as he bent over his knees.

“Tony has his AI working on it. Once she has something, we will piece this together and rid your family of the threat in whatever way is needed.” He stroked Lauren’s back repeatedly while he spoke, lulling her with the action into a light doze.

Hoyt only rubbed a hand over his mouth as he once again aged before Loki’s eyes. “Damn it all… what the hell do I do know?” he said absently and mostly to himself.

Still, Loki gave him an answer. “You let us do what we do best and do better with those children than you did with your own. Did you know Marabeth locked the gates of the maze?”

“Yeah…” he nodded, his gaze following the path of Loki’s hand on Lauren’s back. “She didn’t want the kids sneakin’ out the backside and down to the barns. Sara’s trouble like that. She comes back wheezin’, and Benny nearly took a kick once. They both know better, but… they’re still kids. She loves anythin’ with fur, no matter how hard it makes it for her to breathe. If they sneak out the back of the maze, they stay outta sight of the windows. Any other way, someone catches ‘em runnin’ off.”

“They should have a governess if their parents wish to be uninvolved in their lives,” Loki stated without apology.

“I agree.” Hoyt nodded.

“Then get them one!” he snapped, relaxing the rising tension in his body when Lauren stirred. “And you have control of them.”

“They’re my grandkids, Loki. I don’t know how things work where you’re from, but here, parents are meant to raise their children.”

“So? Do you care for them at all? Because I can assure you their parents do not.”

“Now wait just one minute!” Hoyt hissed, dropping his voice when Lauren shifted a second time.

Loki only flicked his wrist and produce the image and conversation of Marabeth and Samuel fighting the first night he had skulk- _investigated_ the mayhem happening in this home. More colour drained from Hoyt’s face and Loki snuffed out the image. “Sara and Benny have both expressed their belief that their parents dislike them. Sara also told me how Marabeth struck their previous caregiver, Angie, and threatened the woman should she say anything. That would be the night _I_ saved the children from what would likely have been a harsh beating at your eldest daughter’s hands. As it was, I was required to heal the injury on Sara’s arm delivered by her mother’s rough treatment of her child.”

“How do you… you just keep… how do you know all this?” Hoyt stared at him aghast.

“I am the God of Mischief and Lies, Hoyt. I can smell deceit. I hear every whisper of a lie. I can taste mischief or mayhem or madness on the air. There is no hiding it from me. Within that first night, I was aware of your son-in-law’s indiscretions, your eldest daughter’s follies, George’s intentions, and your wife’s… deception.”

He rubbed his fingers over his mouth before waving them at the glass sat beside him. “Maybe you’d best do one more.”

Loki chuckled softly but filled the glass. Again the man’s gaze landed on his hand, the one he hadn’t bothered to remove the ring from.

“Did you already marry my daughter?”

“As an Asgardian and a Dark God, yes.”

“When?”

There was no heat, no hate, no anger in the words, only a tired kind of resignation. “Not long ago. Our… customs are quite different from yours. Lauren is my _Ástvinur_ which means, simply, she is the one woman created for me by the Fates - the Norns. There is no other in the nine realms who could do what she has for me.”

“The way you treat her… the way you speak to others about her… I wish…” He looked sadly toward the door.

“You are yet young enough for a human, Hoyt. Do not live life in an unhappy union.”

He sighed and sipped from the glass before giving it a hard look. “Wow. Meant to say that earlier.”

“Asgardian brandy. Though I’ve modified it for a human’s pallet. It wouldn’t do to have your insides rot.”

He choked on the next mouthful. “Good-” he coughed, “to know!” Hoyt finished the rest in a rush before setting the glass down. “There’s somethin’ y’all don’t know about Lauren’s mama.”

“That she is, what is the term… bipolar?” Loki asked.

Hoyt only gaped at him. “How?”

“I told you. I know madness - an antiquated term for a mental illness, I know - when I see it.” He gave a slight shrug. “These disorders can be managed, can they not?”

“Usually,” Hoyt sighed. “Magnolia’s issue ain’t bipolar, though originally they thought… maybe. Last time she saw a doctor, he called it… histrionic personality disorder. _Sheet_ , I had to come home and Google it. Didn’t know or understand a damn thing the doc was tryin’ to tell me, what with Magnolia harpin’ in my ear that there weren’t nothin’ wron’ with her.”

“It means she desires to be the _life of the party_ and reacts emotionally when she is not. Her worth is tied to how others see her, or how she perceives they see her, as well as her self-image. She will become moody and reactive if she feels slighted, often culminating in explosive, highly dramatic outbursts.” It sounded so much like Magnolia, Loki had to give his head a shake at not seeing it himself.

“Yeah…” Hoyt blinked at him. “Doc says she needs therapy, but she refuses. Before her ma passed on, we had a talk about her. Guess she’s been… difficult all her life. As was her daddy and back through the family. I worry about the girls.” His gaze drifted to Lauren.

“Lauren will not have an issue.” He didn’t bother to explain why to Hoyt. She was of Asgard now, and no such defects would remain in her DNA. “The one you should fear for is Marabeth. Her behaviour is far more dangerous than that of your wife or Cissy. I see now why you stay with Magnolia. I wish your circumstance were not so… difficult.”

Hoyt shrugged. “The vow is in sickness and health, till death us do part. It’s been a lot of years and a lot of tears, but… I held affection for her, made my choice, and it’s time I started bein’ more decisive about that.”

“Still…”

“We came to an agreement today when Magnolia went at Lauren about you. She goes to therapy, I don’t divorce her for infidelity, and she leaves Lauren be.”

“Good to hear.” It was a start, finally, of bridling this family. “And the children?”

“I’ll see to it.”

“Excellent. My _Ástvinur_ would fret if arrangements were not made. Lauren and I will be gone for a time. Her presence on Asgard is highly anticipated. My father awaits her arrival.”

“Really?”

Loki nodded. “She is a rare treasure to my people.”

“I’m happy for her and you, Loki.” He pushed to his feet and patted Loki’s shoulder. “Just… promise me you’ll keep her safe?”

“I would give my life for her,” Loki said softly.

“I’d prefer you just kept the both of you out of danger,” Hoyt said as he made his way toward the door. “Magnolia will be in a tizzy by this point, wonderin’ where I’ve got off to. Once the party’s over, we’ll get Marabeth and Samuel together and tell ‘em what happened and talk about Cissy. Do I even need to ask about my house bein’ secure?”

“The walls are rife with my magic. No one will breach the interior without my instant knowledge, the Avengers walk your halls, and the pup brought from Asgard will protect the children with his life.” He held up his hand when Hoyt frowned and made to ask questions. “It is better to simply take me at my word. Be warned, Usun will only eat fresh meat or fish. Try and feed him dog food and you will find your hen house short chickens.”

“Good to know,” Hoyt said as he headed out of the room. Pulling the door shut behind him, he paused. “Thank you, Loki,” he said quietly and let the latch catch.

Loki immediately turned his eyes down to the stunning green ones now looking up at him. “Were you… playing possum, pet?”

“Y’all were havin’ such a fascinatin’ conversation. I didn’t want to interrupt.” She smiled.

Her improved demeanour made him wonder if she’d missed the conversation about the mental illness in her bloodline. Well, no longer hers, but the rest of her family.

“And now, _elskan min_? What would you have us do?” he whispered against her lips.

“I know what I’d like to do…” she murmured, turning further into him, so her silky bottom brushed his suddenly awake libido.

“Do tell, sweet,” he crooned, sliding his hand up her thigh beneath the blanket as he spread his knees further apart.

She skimmed her palms up his chest, linked one arm around his neck to play with his hair, and hovered an inch away from his lips. “I’d like to take you upstairs and let my dress pool around my ankles.”

The minx was riling him up on purpose. “And then what would you do, cheeky girl?” he murmured, emphasizing the word by grabbing her bottom.

A gasp escaped her throat, and the green of her eyes darkened. She licked her lips and brought them closer to his. “I’d begin undoin’ all these buckles,” she sighed, skimming her fingers back down and over his chest. “Peel your layers back one by one until all that remained of your garments were these.”

Somehow, she managed to sneak her tricky fingers beneath the hem of his tunic and run them down the curve of his thigh to cup him firmly between the legs and make him grunt.

“Since the day you rode Dragon, I’ve wanted to peel you out of everythin’ but these skin-tight pants.”

His mouth opened on a breathy moan he hadn’t known could come from his throat. “And what… what would you do with me then, my heart?”

Her eyes were such a dark green with her arousal they were nearly black, but his magic writhed in the depths. “I’d take them off you slowly, roll them down, and lick every inch of newly bared flesh. You’re so big, _elskan min_. So heavy. You’d taste so good. I’d run my tongue alon’ the underside of your shaft and circle the head, and watch you just like this as you fed your cock down my throat.”

“Lauren,” he snarled, hard as stone beneath her fingers.

“I’ve only done that once. Just once, Loki, and I didn’t like it much. But I know with you, I wouldn’t be able to get enough. It would make me wet, just the thought already has, and I’d moan as you used my hair to guide my head. You’d be so patient, teachin’ me to take you and please you. Wouldn’t you… Loki?” she whispered against his lips.

“You know I would,” he crooned, lost to the spell of her eyes.

“What else would you teach me?” She brushed her lips against his and her fingertips up and down his shaft.

“So many things, my heart.”

“Take me to bed, Loki.”

“I would in a heartbeat, darling, but there are too many people around and… and…” His train of thought vanished with the tightening of her fingers. He groaned, deeply, and closed his eyes as pleasure pooled in his gut. He didn’t notice the wicked fingers loosening the laces on his breeks until his cock sprang free into the cooler air. “Lauren,” he cautioned, but it lacked sincerity.

“If you won’t take me to bed, you’d best lock the door, Loki,” she whispered as she made to slide from his lap.

“Lauren now is not the time…” He let his protest fade when she lifted her eyes back to his.

Desire was present but beneath it was resolve and burning need. A need to live, to feel, to give of herself because her love was so great and the night had been so hard.

The hand which had been in his hair landed gently on his cheek. “Please,” she said on a breathless sigh. “I just… I need to do somethin’, feel somethin’, other than fear or sadness. Please _, elskan min_. I want to.”

He flicked his fingers toward the doors and they iced over. No one was coming in this room… except him. A smirk tilted his lips as he released her from his hold and flicked his fingers again to send her hair cascading in curls around her shoulders as she settled to her knees on the pillow he’d provided. Another swift wave of a hand, saw him seated in the chair in nothing but his boots and breeks, cock hard and leaking as he leisurely stroked himself.

“Like this, my darling?” he asked coyly.

“Gods… yes,” she breathed, sliding her hands up his thighs.

The curtains were drawn over the window at his back, but Loki still dimmed the lights, giving her atmosphere, a little romance, though she’d asked for none. Once, he’d told her if she did this he’d be hard-pressed to keep his hands off her. Now, knowing he would have her as his own in a matter of hours, without interruption and for the entirety of the night, he was content to let her play.

When her hands replaced his, Loki hissed, abdominals clenching at her touch, but carefully gathered her hair into the customary tail she wore. She knelt between his wide spread legs, and he felt the stirrings of release already beginning with nothing more than her tender touch. He would not last if she kept that up.

“Lick,” he commanded and had her eyes darting away from his well-formed cock, something he knew was quite pleasing, back to his sharp gaze.

Her tongue flicked over his skin and he nearly expired. “Fuck! Again!” he growled, watching the pink appendage dance along his shaft.

She did exactly what she’d said. Kissed and licked and brushed her lips over every inch of him, one hand roaming over his chest and abdomen while the other kept him right where she wanted him.

When he could take no more teasing, Loki rumbled out a soft growl and brought her lips to the head of his cock by a tug of her hair. “Open your pretty lips, pet.” They parted on a sigh that sent warm air singing over his skin and made his hips buck. He tightened his hold on her locks as he pressed down slowly. Carefully. Giving her time to adjust to his girth. “Good girl. Look how beautiful you are,” he moaned, applying a little more pressure to see him sliding in far enough to bump the back of her throat. “Sweet, wonderful… fuck…” He hissed as he let her up and her lips closed around him, cheeks hollowing as she sucked hard.

She slipped off him with a pop and a gasp to drag in a lungful of air. “Does that please you, my god?” she murmured, eyes full of mischief and seductive smile upon her lips.

A near purr filled the room with his pleasure as he slouched deeper into the chair. “I think you know it does, my Valkyrie.”

Her eyes never left his as she slowly ran her tongue around him before sliding her glossy red lips down his length again. She took him as deep as possible, and he didn’t push her for more. That would come, in time. For now, he simply watched as she found her way and enjoyed the heat and wet. The suction. The gentle scrape of teeth and massage of her tongue.

He used the hand with the death grip on the arm of his chair to lightly tap her fist. “Use your hand, pet. Stroke and twissssst…” His head fell back to rest against the chair as he made a completely unintelligible noise and moaned, “Fuck me!”

The minx had the audacity to giggle.

It drew his heavy-lidded gaze back down to where she continued to watch him. The image she presented, knelt between his thighs, hands working in tandem with her sexy red lips, the heat of her mouth, the tightness, all of it combined to send his heart racing in his chest.

That damn innocence of hers with her almost too tender touch and slower pace was driving him crazy. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes glassy with pleasure and excitement and that look which was all his mischievous woman.

He let his magic rise up. Small tendrils of it he sent dancing over her bare spine. Her moan of delight was nearly his undoing as the vibration shot straight to his straining balls. “Do you know how glorious you look, Lauren?” he asked hoarsely as he touched her cheek, stroked it gently, and gave her hair a tug to have her increasing her speed.

Loki groaned when she did, his thighs starting to shake as the inferno growing in his middle began to writhe out of control.

“You are… the most perfect,” he gasped and shuddered and had his eyes drift closed for a moment when her teeth caught his ridge. “The most perfect… _Ástvinur_ ever created. I can’t… oh, fuck… Lauren…” his hand tightened further in her hair. “I… I need…”

But she seemed to know and removed one hand from his length to gently stroke and fondle his sack. It was all he required to see his seed spraying over her tongue as he bit his lip to keep from roaring his release to the ceiling, and informing all with the ears to hear of his pleasure.

Her lips and tongue worked him through it in a way he’d never before experienced as she swallowed, and moaned, and sucked, and stroked him with soft fingers until it was he who was slumped and boneless, a pile of useless flesh after the best head of his entire existence.

When she finally freed him from her mouth, it was with a self-satisfied smirk while she gently tucked him back in his drawers and tied the laces.

“You are… far too good at that, my heart,” he murmured, catching her by the hand when she stood to draw her back down in his lap. “A true goddess. Never have I felt such pleasure.”

She blushed a beautiful deep pink and licked her lips. “I knew you’d taste good,” Lauren sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “But that was a whole new level of… yum.”

“Another thing common to _Ástvinur’s_. We taste in a way most pleasing to our lover. You, my darling, are sweet wines with tart notes, or honey mead with a lemon twist. Sweet but with a zing that gives it life, just like you.”

“Peppermint and dark chocolate,” she sighed and touched his lips. “Especially when you moan for me. But that was… I don’t know… just incredible.” She moved her fingers to her lips. “My mouth still kinda tingles.”

He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “That’s good, as my whole body kind of tingles.”

She giggled softly. “You think anyone missed us?”

“I’m certain my brother is wondering where we have wandered off to.”

She sat up and looked longingly down at his naked torso before drawing her fingers over his chest. “I wish you’d tell Thor what you told me.”

Her fingers walked the places of hidden scars. “It changes nothing if I do.”

“It changes a lot,” she sighed and pushed from his lap. “But it’s not my story to tell.”

A wave of hand had them both put to rights, the scent of sex cleared from the room and ice melted from the doors. “Lauren,” Loki took her by the hands and lifted first one and then the other to his lips. “I am… afraid Thor will blame himself if he finds out. It was him I let go of. It was him who watched me fall. Finding out about… all the rest, he will see himself at fault somehow, when all the blame falls squarely on my shoulders.”

“I refuse to believe the man who attacked New York was anythin’ but a victim himself first. In my eyes, Loki, you’re no different than James.”

He dropped his head to hers and sighed. “A theory we can neither test nor try with the scepter gone and the mind stone in Vision. I would not wish to if we could for fear of hurting you in the process.”

“You would never hurt me.”

“You don’t know my mindset then, Lauren. I had such little control.”

She reached up and cupped his face. “You, Loki Laufeyson, would never hurt me. Not even then. Not even under someone else’s control. Because I don’t live in your mind. I live here.” She dropped her hands to his heart. “You can’t force a heart to be anythin’ but truthful.”

“Lauren, you humble me.” He closed his hands over hers.

A heavy sigh escaped her. “Seems to be my role tonight.”

“What do you mean, darling?” As he asked, Loki led her to the door and out of the office, back toward the party. By the sound of it, it was in full swing and nowhere near over. More’s the pity.

“I told the others to get over themselves or I wasn’t comin’ back.”

“Lauren,” he chastised softly. “You can’t just give up everything you’ve worked for because of me.”

“I’m not. If they can’t trust the decisions I make in my own life, can’t come to terms with this bein’ what it is, then it isn’t me givin’ up. It’s them not bein’ the family I thought they were. Misgivin’s about you aside, they should be happy that I’m happy.”

He wasn’t happy about it. “Darling, I don’t care if they dislike me. I care that you are happy. Being there makes you happy.”

“Bein’ with you makes me happy,” she said stubbornly.

“Hm. Perhaps I’m not the only rock-headed one,” he hummed as he walked in the room with her on his arm.

“You ain’t gonna let that go, are you?” she huffed.

“I tease, my love. Your lips more than made up for it,” he crooned, watching her blush and shush him while he pondered their previous conversation.

He would fix it. Somehow. The idea of leaving the Tower and the Avengers, though something he, too, had threatened, was not what he wanted. He liked the work, strange as that sounded, but a nice blood pumping, magic throwing battle gave him a thrill.

A flash of red preceded Magnolia’s arrival before they were three feet into the room. “Lauren! There y’all are! Where’s Cissy? Have you seen her? And Samuel! Samuel’s so late! Marabeth is just beside herself.”

He felt Lauren stiffen before the answer flowed freely.

“You know how Samuel feels about these things, mama. He’s always duckin’ out early or comin’ in a little late. I’m sure he’ll show up eventually. As for Cissy, she had to take a call.”

“A call?” Magnolia huffed, looking put out. “I suppose she’ll run off to some party somewhere else and completely shirk her responsibilities tonight, too.” She scowled before someone caught her eye. “Oh! Jane! Jane Wilson, don’t y’all go runnin’ off. Why it’s been simply ages since we had a chance to talk.” And off she went in a flurry of skirts.

Lauren watched her go. “Hearin’ you and Daddy talk about her… difficulties… makes things seem… not okay, but, I guess I understand a bit better now. I just wish she’d gotten help sooner. That she’d wanted it. ‘Least Cissy is.”

“I didn’t think you were awake for that part.”

“I figured if I was, he might not finish talkin’ about it.”

Loki hummed his agreement as he led Lauren further into the room, paying closer attention to the people. When he spotted the Captain moving toward them, he gave the man a nod. “Rogers.”

“Loki.” The blond super soldier rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I was hoping Lauren would give me the honor of a dance?”

She hesitated, and Loki gave her a push. “She’d be delighted.”

“I would, would I?” Lauren glared at Loki who only shrugged.

While the Captain led her away, Loki sighed and rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “Anytime, Natasha.”

She huffed out an annoyed breath. “I hate how you always know.”

“A great spy you may be, but you are only human.” And the house was alive with his magic. The location of every person in it was his for the knowing.

They watched for a moment or two the graceful way Steve led Lauren around the floor before Natasha finally spoke. “I don’t want her to leave.”

“Neither do I.”

That seemed to knock the wind right out of her fit of pique. “But… I thought…”

“Contrary to popular belief, I am not the heinous monster you seem to think I am. Lauren loves her job, her home, and her chosen family. Leaving would only hurt her in the long run.”

She stared at him with her mouth open. “You really do love her.”

“Of course.” He glanced at her and gave a single shoulder shrug. “I do not see why that is so difficult for you to understand.”

“Maybe because you love Thor, but you betrayed him numerous times.”

“That is different.”

“How?”

It was, perhaps, the most civil conversation he’d ever had with her even though the subject was a volatile one.

He held out his hand.

“What?” she asked as she eyed him warily.

“If we are going to have this conversation we are not going to do so standing in one place. Dance with me.” It was not a request.

She gave him her hand and he spun her onto the floor. “The Gods of Asgard are not as plentiful as you think. It is not as if our entire race is made up of them. As you have royalty on this world, you could think of us in the same light.”

“I’m with you so far.”

“Hm. As such, we are made up of balanced gods, those like Thor, Frigga, and Odin - you could call them light gods if you prefer - and there are those of us who are dark.”

“Thor explained this much. While he has dark and light inside him in balance, you tend to be more on the dark side,” she recited.

“Yes, though Thor’s explanation is the… children’s version, so to speak,” he chuckled softly.

“How about you give me the grown-up version then.”

He moved her around another couple. “Do you meditate, Natasha?” She frowned but nodded. “When you do so, do you imagine your center as a calm lake or a lotus, something to that effect?”

“Something like that, yeah.”

“Imagine instead an ocean, violent and rough. Crashing, forever crashing, in unending waves against the rock bluffs of your resistance. It is a continuous battle, a fight for your sanity and what little goodness remains every moment of every day. The ocean seethes with darkness, the whispered promise of peace if you just submit, slide into those waves, and let the water drown out the noise bit by bit until you have fallen so far into darkness there is no light left. It is… torture. Centuries of it, but it is the price I pay for being what I am. I am a Dark God. Asgard and Yggdrasil would not remain whole without me there to balance the others.”

Her eyes were very wide as she stared up at him in shock. “What… why?”

“The Norns only know why one is chosen to be Dark and another not. It is not all bad. Dark Gods are, often times, more powerful than Light. And if we can fight long enough, keep our… honour I guess one would say by not falling into darkness, there is hope in the form of our _Ástvinur_. She or he who is the light that we are missing. The one who keeps us balanced. For me… that’s her.” He smiled at Lauren who was laughing at something Steve said.

“And now?” Natasha asked, drawing his attention.

“Before, you all often commented on my pale skin and the fatigue that darkened my eyes. Since the moment I came fully into my powers and the battle began, I have slept no more than a handful of hours a week.”

“What!” she gasped.

“It is not that important for one of us to sleep unless we are injured, but with Lauren… I have found my peace. With the last step of our binding, the ocean of darkness is calm. A lake of power which reflects the light of my soul, the moon that is Lauren. Just look at her. Look at her glow! She is… so radiant.”

“What about Thor, though?”

“A slip into darkness brought about by my age and the… resentment I bore him. He is my brother and so received the brunt of my emotions because of his close proximity. But Lauren is my light. Because of her, I will never fall again. She brings me peace. She is my greatest gift and treasure. I value her beyond my own life and would seek her happiness above my own. Such is the reason I willingly explain all this to you.” It went without saying he never would have otherwise.

A smirk twitched Natasha’s lips before she frowned. “So… you’re saying only those Dark Gods who don’t fuck it up find their _Ástvinur_. Those who hang onto their honor?”

“This is a fact.” Loki nodded. “We have had some who dived into their darkness and become truly evil and had to be fought for the good of the nine realms. Others still who have found their _Ástvinur_ but failed in their binding. They, too, succumbed to the darkness and were killed for the good of all. Most were far in our past. But Lauren is… special. A typical binding takes many weeks, often months to finish. She finished ours in three days.” His pride in her was impossible to miss.

“So how do you… do what you did,” she asked sincerely, confusion in every word, “but still find your _Ástvinur_?”

“That is the million dollar question, isn’t it?” Loki muttered.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Smut, NSFW, 18+, swearing

 

* * *

Lauren collected her dress and took Steve’s hand with a bit of reluctance.

“Please don’t look at me like that,” he said as he gathered her closer.

“Like what, Steve?”

He gave a quiet sigh. “Like you expect me to chew you out. I’m not gonna do that, Lauren.”

She gave a dismissive shrug and looked away, refusing to comment.

His hand was warm where it rested on her bare skin. A little callused. It was such a contrast to what she was used to with Loki’s long, elegant hands. The weight felt wrong, the size and shape, but he moved well around the room and across the floor. Even in something like a dance he was both commanding and composed.

“You’re a pretty good dancer, Cap,” she said.

“Was kinda the thing to do when I was younger.”

She looked up, and there was an apology in his eyes. “Steve.”

He only smiled. “You’re right.”

“Huh?” she muttered.

“You’re right, Lauren. We’ve all been… less than supportive about this. I came down here with Bucky to try and keep a leash on Tony and Natasha, try and keep them from sticking their noses in your business, and only managed to wedge my own in there right beside theirs.”

It gave her a bit of a mental picture and made Lauren snicker.

“You may not be an official Avenger, but you’re a huge part of our team. You help hold our family together, Lauren. We value and respect your opinion, and you’ve got a keen eye for the little things we often miss.”

“Loki said the same,” she said quietly.

“He’s more than we give him credit for. Bucky’s been saying it for days, but so are you, and we’re not going to just let you walk away from us. Like you said, we’re family. A weird one albeit and a little broken but still good.”

The tears which had been threatening dried up when Lauren laughed. “Have you been watchin’ Disney movies again, Steve? How very Stitch of you.”

He blushed but chuckled along with her. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for them.”

“I would miss movie nights,” she admitted.

He drew her in a little tighter and lowered both voice and head. “Lauren… I wish you’d just tell us what you know.”

“Steve…”

“But I get you’re keeping confidences. I keep a few of my own with Buck, so I understand. The fact that you defend Loki like I do Bucky…” His eyes widened. “Like I do Bucky. Lauren!”

She only smiled. “Yes, Cap?”

“Are you… are you saying…” He pulled her from the dance floor and into a space along the wall free of people. “Are you saying he… that the Chitauri…”

“I’m not sayin’ anythin’, Cap.” But a trickle of hope filled her.

“But if he wasn’t a willing participant… why didn’t he let Thor help him?” He frowned, and she watched the wheels turn as he worked the problem over.

Lauren reached up and cupped his face, drawing startled eyes back to hers. “Thank you, Steve.”

“I haven’t got there yet,” he grumbled.

It only made her laugh and throw her arms around him before kissing his cheek with a loud _smack_. “But you’re tryin’.”

“What’s with the love-in?” Tony huffed, arriving at her elbow.

“Just… figuring it out,” Steve mumbled, staring into her eyes.

Lauren only smiled. “Thank you for the dance, Steven.”

He nodded and patted her shoulder, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Tony held out his hand when Lauren pulled away. “My turn.”

“Where’s Pepper?” Lauren asked.

She smiled a final time for Steve and walked away. He was instantly mobbed as soon as Tony pulled her on the floor, barely giving her time to collect the back of her dress.

“Charming the pants off some people over there.” He tilted his head toward one of the mirrored rooms Loki had created. “How come my parties don’t look like this?” Tony pouted.

“They could if you asked the right person for help.”

“So, Mischief pulled this all together? Swanky.” He even sounded impressed.

“Do you have somethin’ to say, Tony?” Lauren asked, annoyed with his small talk.

“I refuse to accept your resignation, Ms. Annandale.” He looked directly at her, his glasses were barely able to disguise the hurt in his eyes.

“It’s Laufeyson, actually,” she challenged.

“I don’t care if it’s _dirt_. You are not allowed to quit!”

The hand on her back was cooler, closer to her own temperature, and though it wasn’t the work-roughened hand of Steve, she could feel the calluses formed by the hours Tony spent bent over his suits. He was defensive, stiff, and nearly rude. Yet his grip was tight, clutching her close in a physical act of resistance, denying her distance.

But she was not giving in so easily. “I’m sure you could find a perfectly competent assistant to replace me, Mr. Stark.”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about your job, Lauren. You could sit on your behind painting your nails, or do yoga off my landing pad three times a day while the phone rang incessantly in your office for all I care about your job! You’re not allowed to _leave_!”

She sighed. “You know what it will take to see me stayin’, Tony.”

“Goddammit, woman! What the hell do you think I’m trying to say?” he huffed irately and ground his teeth together in frustration. “I will renovate an entire floor for you and the horned wonder to call home and house the little-horned wonders when they start arriving if that’s what it takes to get you to stay.”

She burst out laughing, well aware Tony throwing money at something was as close to an apology and admission of real affection as she was likely to get. “How about instead of spendin’ ridiculous amounts of money, you just be a little less snippy.”

“Have you met me?” he quipped, making her giggle.

“Don’t make me change your coffee back to decaf, Mr. Stark.”

“Lauren! You promised!”

She chuckled as he scowled at her before sobering with a quiet sigh. “He’s a real good guy if you just give him a chance.”

Tony’s sigh echoed hers. “You know, my original thoughts on sending him down here were good ones. If anyone was going to look after our southern belle and be able to protect her from her mama… it would be Loki. He’d be the only one capable of causing trouble without appearing to cause the trouble.”

“He’s a tricky fella, for sure,” she said, refusing to confirm or deny Loki’s involvement in any sort of mischief, though she did smirk a little.

“You smile like him,” Tony said and shook his head. “It’s creepy.”

“Get used to it.” She grinned even wider.

“ _Stop_!” he whined before spinning her out and pulling her back in. “Don’t leave.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“ _Lauren!_ ” he whined a second time.

“I’m still goin’ to Asgard.”

He pouted something fierce.

“But I’ll come back.”

A smug but familiar Tony smile filled his face. “Good. Pepper was none too pleased with the rest of us when I told her.”

“I bet.” Lauren chuckled.

***

Loki watched her dance with Rogers and Stark, laugh and smile, her heart much settled. Then Thor stole her away. When he thought to collect his wife, Barnes was there to entice her back onto the dance floor. Her father was next, then Marcus, Sadie’s husband.

Loki declined every offer except Pepper’s, who told him to wipe the scowl off his face as jealous fiancé didn’t suit him. She expressed her displeasure with the others, with Lauren threatening to leave, and with him for not saying immediately he expected something was amiss.

He’d placated her by assuring the fiery redhead he and Natasha had come to an understanding. He had no intentions of letting Lauren lose her family a second time.

She’d given him her hard-eyed Pepper Potts stare, the one which seemed to see and assess every inch of him before she’d nodded and left him to go and bend Tony’s ear.

It was pushing an hour of time he’d failed to spend with his _Ástvinur_ when he spied her standing near the stairs with Natasha. They shared a hug, Lauren’s heart filling with cautious hope as the former assassin released her and walked away, only to be dragged into the Captain’s arms as he sought to escape the females fawning over him.

Loki chuckled, finding Steve’s apparent distress and assumption Natasha would assist him amusing. Barnes had his own flock of fluttering females, as did Thor, but neither seemed to mind it as the Captain did.

Not wishing to waste time and become waylaid, he waved his hand to shift himself to the shadows at Lauren’s back. He swiftly wrapped his arms around her and dragged her into the dark recesses beneath the curved stairwell.

When she didn’t even jolt in surprise, he smiled and deepened the shadows to hide them from view.

“I have missed you, pet,” he whispered in her ear while stroking the soft fabric of her gown over her belly.

“I was hopin’ you’d find me soon,” she sighed as she leaned into him.

“Is everything alright?”

“I think you know it is. Nat told me what you said. She, like the others, refuses to let me leave and says she’ll give it a rest. She’ll let things lie.”

“That is good.”

“We’ll see.”

He trailed his fingers up to gently cup her breasts. “Have faith in them, my heart.”

“Loki,” she moaned and arched into his hands.

“Now,” he let his voice drop into a seductive purr. “Did you enjoy dancing with all of them?”

“Was… alright!” she gasped when his thumbs brushed her nipples.

“Just alright, darling? You were quite free with your affections. A hug and a kiss for the Captain. A kiss for Stark. A hug and kiss for my brother and Barnes. Laughing and smiling with each.” He gently bit her ear. “All while ignoring your poor, forgotten husband.”

“Y’all are the one… who shoved me at Steve,” she whined while he plucked her firm peaks through her dress.

“I didn’t expect you to be gone an hour, pet. I was quite lonely without you.” He nudged his nose against her ear, and she tilted her head, giving him the long line of her throat to tease with his teeth.

“Jealous, _elskan min_?”

“Horridly so,” he admitted with a chuckle.

She gave a whimper and shifted restlessly when Loki let one hand slowly make its way down her belly until he could drag his fingertips back and forth at the apex of her thighs.

“Loki.”

“I feel I have been neglectful, darling. You pleased me so well, and I was lax in reciprocating. Let me make it up to you. Shall we _play_ , pet?” he whispered, and a shiver shook her body.

“What game?” She tilted her head back to look at him.

“A wicked one,” he crooned, nipping her lower lip. “A very naughty game.”

“Show me.”

Desire flooded him. Her spirit and willingness to do these things was so arousing.

He lifted his hand from her breast, made a fist, and then opened it to show her the two silver spheres in his palm. “Take them.”

She gave a little gasp when he dropped them in her palm, and they rolled heavily from the weights within.

Tied together, they couldn’t roll far without tugging on each other, and Loki closed his hand around hers to create a relaxed fist. He gave their combined hands a shake, letting her feel the way they shifted and rang together. “They are counterweighted, my love. Built to roll and come together. But if I add a little magic…”

They buzzed in her palm, and Lauren’s breath quickened. “And… what, uh, where?” she asked on an aroused moan as his opposite hand continued to trace patterns over her mound.

He could smell how aroused she was. “Where do you think, darling?” he chuckled darkly. “Do you still wish to _play_?”

“Yes.” She gave a breathy sigh.

He growled, a hungry wolf needing a feast, and opened his hand. “Give them to me.”

Her hand shook when she returned them, but it was excitement which sang in his heart stone.

“On any other night,” he whispered near her ear, his voice deep and words like honey, thick and slow, “I would bend you over the foot of our bed and insert these, one by one. Press them into your aching pussy with my fingers until they were well seated, but tonight, pet,” he placed his cupped palm against her belly and let the small balls warm with their body heat, “a little touch of magic will have to do.”

They disappeared, and she jolted when they settled inside her. He stroked his fingers over her lower abdomen, and she arched, jolted a second time when they rang together and gave a little yelp.

“How do they feel, my love?” he asked, smile devious as he licked the side of her throat.

“Strange. Different. Kinda heavy, but…” she shifted her weight, and her eyelids fluttered closed, “really good too.”

“Excellent. Let’s go.” He stepped out from behind her.

“Go? Where?”

Her wide eyes made him chuckle. “Did you not say you wanted a dance, wife?”

“Loki! Out there?” She threw her hand at the gathering.

He caught her fingers and gave them a tug. His smirk was wide and challenging. “Have you changed your mind about playing, darling? This is half the fun.” He tugged her forward a step.

Her eyes widened further, then narrowed. “You think you’re so funny.”

He tugged her forward again until she was against his chest. “This is just fun, my love. Small games and great pleasure. You will enjoy it, I swear, and none will be the wiser. Come. Dance with your husband.”

He took a step backward out of the shadows and into the light. She followed slowly, feeling the small balls roll together. He knew it was so for her breath hitched and her lashes fluttered with each step she took. A decadent flush had coloured her cheeks and desire raged in his heart stone.

The music was soft and slow, the woman singing adding to the romantic atmosphere.

He drew Lauren to the center of the floor beneath the largest of the three crystals and sent a soft breeze through the room. The flowers which bloomed in abundance gave off their fragrance. A seductive, heady scent which gently clouded the nose.

He had no desire to allow another to smell the sweet scent of his aroused wife, and there were a few noses in the room powerful enough to do so dancing but feet away.

“Loki,” she whispered and shuddered as he drew her into his embrace.

“Arms around my neck, pet,” he murmured and led them upward.

There were no steps to be had, no moves to be made, just a gentle swaying of hips back and forth as he stroked her bare skin and wrapped them in illusion. To everyone else they would appear as they were now. A couple caught in a romantic moment. Sweet and innocent. Their cheeks touching and eyelids closed. But in reality, Loki skimmed his fingers over her backside and bent his head to her ear. “How do they feel, my love? Describe it for me.”

“They tease me, _elskan min,_ ” she sighed, her voice breathy in his ear. “I ache and never know when they will,” she gasped, “shift!”

His hands flexed, fingers digging in, urging her closer as his cock swelled. He brought her against him, let her feel it. Feel what she always did to him. “I can smell how wet you are. Do you burn, darling?”

“Yes,” she whimpered.

He shushed her softly. “You will break through my illusion if you are too loud, love.”

“What?” She blinked open glassy eyes to stare at him in surprise.

“There is excitement in the thought of getting caught, is their not? Does not your sweet core clench and flutter even now at the idea of it?”

A new flush burned in her cheeks, and she cast a nervous glance around.

“I would never allow another to see you in this state, beloved, but that hint of danger adds an extra element to your arousal.” He rocked her hips firmly into his and caused her mouth to gape on a silent cry. “That’s it, my Valkyrie. Let your desire run wild.”

“Loki,” she gasped, her voice barely a whisper. “What are you playin’ at?”

He swayed with her, rocked her into him, and admired how his magic reflected in her eyes. It sparked and writhed and seemed to burn with the fire of her passion. He lowered his head until his lips brushed hers, but never looked away from her dark green gaze. “What I want, my heart is to watch you come for me, right here, right now, surrounded by all these people who will never know. I want to watch as you are overcome with pleasure, as your skin heats and pulse kicks in your throat. As your breasts swell and nipples peak to rub hard against me. I want to feel you quake and catch your cry with my lips. I want to feel you break apart in my arms while I hold you and keep you together.”

Her eyes were huge, and her breath was coming on small, heavily aroused pants when he finished.

“Can you do that for me, pet?” he asked as he slipped his hand beneath the edge of her dress, feeling more silk before teasing his fingers under it to run the tips over the satin-soft skin of her bottom.

Her fingers tangled in his hair as she pulled him closer, one hand gripping the back of his neck. “Take me to Valhalla, my God of Mischief.”

His rumble of approval held no room for words. Magic saw the spheres begin to vibrate and she shuddered but bit her lip to keep from crying out. He nipped it himself, soothing the bite with his tongue, continuing to pull and rock her hips into his, applying pressure where she needed it. She smelled so delicious he knew her undergarment, one he looked forward to discovering, was already soaked through and increased the speed of the vibration.

She gave a distressed sounding mewl and sank her nails into his neck. Her body arched hard against his with the increased intensity. She shook and opened her eyes, seeming blind to the world when she let her head fall back and panted to keep from screaming.

“So close, beloved. You look so beautiful.”

“Kiss me,” she sighed and pulled at his neck.

“Come for me, and I will kiss you,” he countered.

“I’m so close, Loki.” Her fingers clenched in his hair.

He jerked her up hard against him. “Come for me,” he growled in her ear. “Do it, Lauren. Now!”

Her body stiffened, and he slammed his mouth to hers, silencing the scream before she could even draw breath. He worshiped her mouth with tongue and teeth, continuing to rock her gently as she shook and shivered and writhed against him. The wave of her release appeared to roll on and on until he remembered the device and silenced it.

She slumped against him with a whimper. “Wow.”

Sweat had beaded on her brow, her eyes were hazed with well-received pleasure, and she appeared pleasingly dishevelled to his gaze. “You look both ravishing and ravished, darling.”

“Mmm,” she hummed. “So did you, earlier.”

“I look forward to later,” he purred against her cheek, “when I can leave you ravished and look my fill. Sadly, I must right what I have wrought and return you to your immaculate self.”

She straightened and flinched, the spheres shifting to ring together in her sensitive channel. “Could you, um…?”

A touch of magic had them vanishing, a toy Loki looked forward to applying again in the future. “Humans can be such creative creatures,” he murmured before pressing his lips to her cheek, swiftly refreshing her garments and appearance. He continued to sway with her as he aligned illusion and reality before letting the former fall away.

“Do y’all not have such things on Asgard?” she asked.

“Some, but Asgardians take their pleasure quite seriously, my love. For us, the give and take are equal. It would be shameful for us to fail to please our lover. Add in our stamina, and the use of toys for all but the initial fun of it is unnecessary.”

“I would scold you for braggin’, but I can tell you’re not just fluffin’ your ego.”

He chuckled softly. “Perhaps a bit of both.” Loki drew her in tight and bent to whisper in her ear. “It is not uncommon for newly wedded couples to disappear to the bedchambers and remain there unseen for three or four days.”

“Really!?” she squeaked in surprise.

“Most definitely, pet.” He lightly stroked her back and swayed to the music.

“Y’all really are kinky fuckers,” she mumbled and made him laugh.

“Hey,” Bucky said as he appeared beside them. “Stark’s got something.”

***

Lauren’s hands were twisting nervously together when they walked into the dining room.

Loki swiftly stole one away, brought it to his lips, and placed a tender kiss to her knuckles. “Breath, my heart. All will be well.” He would make sure of it.

She took a big one and blew it out, her free hand falling to press against her stomach. “I feel a little sick.”

He drew her closer, curling his arm around her waist while still holding tight to her hand. “There is no need to worry. We will take care of whatever is revealed.”

“Yeah, dollface,” Bucky said gently touching her elbow. “We got this.”

She gave him a wan smile, and Loki tightened his arm. “Everything will be fine. I promise.”

He looked toward the middle of the room the Avengers had commandeered as their makeshift command center with interest. Stark had a number of things spread out over the dining table, items he’d clearly retrieved from the helicopter, creating what appeared to be a mobile op center. Floating above one was the image of the man from the children’s party, another had what was likely SHIELD’s file regarding the same man, and finally, multiple screens were showing the Annandale’s financials.

“Lauren.” Tony approached her slowly when they came in the door. “I want you to come here and sit down.”

“Tony?” She paled drastically.

“Stark?” Loki questioned. Evidently, whatever the Iron Man had found was not pleasant.

“Come and sit down.” Tony glanced at Loki before drawing Lauren away to seat her in one of the chairs placed near the center of the table. “I’ve been doing some digging and… it’s not good.” He stepped away, and Loki took his place, laying a gentle hand on Lauren’s shoulder while the others crowded around the table.

There was nothing new in the positioning for him, Loki well used to this setup from the many missions he’d been involved in, but Lauren took it all in for the first time. She may have been privy to the files and information in the past, but she was not involved in the planning and had never seen this side of things before.

“You’re brother-in-law… uh…” Tony hesitated and looked to Pepper who walked over to sit beside Lauren.

“He’s laundering money through your families holdings, and through his position at the Montgomery bank, for one of the biggest crime families in the south,” she said, placing her hand on Lauren’s knee.

“What!?” Lauren snarled, shooting straight to her feet.

Loki only chuckled at all the shocked faces and was joined in his amusement by Thor. Clearly, the others had expected an opposite reaction to this information.

“Why that no good slimy bastard!” she hissed. “Is that the reason someone came after Sara?”

Tony blinked at her for a moment before returning his attention to the table. “We can’t be sure, but it looks like he’s been skimming from the pot. The amounts coming in aren’t matching the ones going out. FRIDAY has already found the couple of offshore accounts he’s using to squirrel away his funds. This one,” he punched a few keys and one file popped forward, “is likely how he’s getting paid. The deposits are too regular, too consistent, but this one,” he flicked his fingers, and the image changed, “the amounts are different, and the deposits bounce around.”

“Son ‘bitch. I’ll kill him!” Lauren snapped, her hands balling into fists on the table.

A smirk twitched Tony’s lips. “The identity of the Clown Man has led me to believe whatever shenanigans Avirett is up to have come back to bite him in the ass.” Everyone’s attention shifted to the other floating set of files. “Francis Valentino. He’s known as the muscle for the Bianci family and has been indicated in numerous disappearances over the years. He’s a bit of a ghost, a hitman, and anything else Giovanni Bianci needs him to be.”

More images popped up, faces of people Loki didn’t know but would now be watching for, just as the door pushed open, and Hoyt walked in.

“I figured as much,” he said as he shut the door behind him. “When y’all up and vanished, I knew there was trouble.”

“Daddy…” Lauren said only to sigh when he turned a hard stare her way.

“This is still my house and my family, Lauren Guillemin. Don’t be tryin’ to keep me outta whatever y’all have found out.” Hoyt crossed his arms and glared at the rest of them.

“Daddy, there’s so much more goin’ on here than you know,” Lauren tried to dissuade him.

“Actually, he needs to know this, Lauren,” Steve overrode her gently. “With what’s been going on with your family’s finances, it could be bad for your father if it appears he was complacent in the act.”

“Pardon?” Hoyt said, stepping to the end of the table.

Tony did a quick recap, outlining what he’d already been through, and received nearly the same reaction as Lauren.

“That _no good_ -” he gritted his teeth, “I’ll kill ‘im!”

“Stand in line, Daddy!” Lauren snapped.

“This is a whole new side of you,” Natasha snickered. “I like it.”

“Nobody mess with my family,” Lauren said, standing proudly with her chin raised as she looked at her father. “Things may have been… difficult these last few years, but this is still my family. If Samuel’s actions have led to someone comin’ after the kids,” she shook her head, and Loki admired the fire which burned in her eyes, one of deadly retribution, “I’ll kick his ass from here to Sunday and every day in between.”

“Where the _hell_ is that asshat?” her father mumbled, his eyes narrowed in anger. “I’m about itchin’ to put my boot up his ass for this! That son ‘bitch done gone and put this family in danger. My family!” His big palm slammed down on the table in rage. “I ain’t got nothin’ to do with all… _that_!” He nodded toward the financials Stark had dredged up. “He’s been workin’ on diversifying our portfolio, or so he claimed, after the economic downturn a few years back. I figured he knew what he was doin’ and left him to it. _Goddammit_!”

“Take it easy, Daddy,” Lauren said. “They know you ain’t got nothin’ to do with what’s been happenin’, right Tony?”

Tony only continued to study Hoyt. “I believe you, but there are a lot of these transactions with your father’s signature on them, Lauren.”  

Hoyt slouched against the end of the table. “He’d come to me when I was busy with other things and have me sign stuff. I trusted him. He was Marabeth’s husband. I don’t think I’ve read more than the first paragraph or two since the third year they’d been married.”

“They’ve been together ‘bout eight,” Lauren sighed.

“This has been going on for at least four,” Tony added. “The thing is…”

It appeared, again, as if whatever Tony was about to say next pained him, and Loki moved closer to Lauren.

“I’m… not sure how innocent your sister is in all this,” Tony said as new images began to crop up above the table. He continued before Lauren or Hoyt could react. “She’s been prosecuting cases like you wouldn’t believe. Big name ones. Ones that have her rising in the ranks and catching the eye of those people who matter. But none of those cases have been against the Bianci’s, and all the major wins? They’ve been beneficial _to_ the Bianci’s. Now, that may be a coincidence, or maybe it’s the husband’s influence pushing her to take a different one, but it seems… too convenient. Yet, there’s nothing to show she’s taking a bribe or being paid off like her husband is.”

Lauren wrapped her arms around her middle and slowly shook her head. “Marabeth wouldn’t take a bribe.”

“Lauren, you can’t know that for certain,” Pepper murmured. “People do things their families would never imagine the would all the time.”

“No,” Lauren sighed. “You don’t understand. Marabeth is too prideful. She’d never take a bribe, and if someone tried to offer her one, she’d likely laugh in their face. You can’t tell her what to do.” She glanced her father’s way before dropping her gaze to the table. “She lies… so well. She manipulates and twists things around like nothin’ and no one I’ve ever met. If someone had tried to buy her off, she’d a done everythin’ in her power to expose them simply cause they would have insulted her for it. I bet if you look back farther, you’ll find an instance where someone small from the Bianci’s ran across her, and she took them down for all she was worth. It would have been a pleasure, and she’d a been real smug about it. No. Someone else within her office must be funnelin’ cases away from her and feedin’ her bigger fish to keep her happy and away from the Bianci’s.”

“She’s right, boss,” quipped FRIDAY, startling Hoyt. “Roughly six years ago there was a case Mrs. Avirett tried with, what some called _extreme prejudice_ demanding the maximum sentence for the crime the man had committed, an armed robbery in which everyone walked away uninjured. When asked about it later, she’d told reporters she was quote, “teachin’ a lesson to the people who thought they were above the justice system.” After that, she never had another case tied to the Bianci family sent her direction.”

“This is all great and fine, but what do we do about it? This crime family is still gonna want retribution for Samuel stealin’ from them. They’re still comin’ after the kids. Can we just… give it back to get them to leave us be?” Hoyt asked.

“No,” Loki stated firmly. “They came for what I consider mine. As of this moment, Asgard stands against these… _Bianci’s_.”

“Loki… you know what such a statement means,” Thor cautioned.

Loki looked at his brother and smiled. “Oh, yes, brother mine. I know _exactly_ what it means.”

“What does it mean?” asked Bucky.

“It means father will need to polish his armour. Asgard is going to war.” Loki’s smile was even more deadly when he turned it on the sergeant.

“Now hold on a second,” Steve cautioned. “You can’t just do…” he waved a limp hand, “whatever it is your planning. Call down the legions of Asgard and wreak havoc.”

“Oh, but I can, Captain. As second born prince of Asgard, I can do just that when the life and safety of the princess of Asgard has been threatened.” He wrapped his arm around Lauren tightly and drew her back against him. “Do you know what hells I would unleash if she’d been injured or taken tonight?”

“Loki, _elskan min_.” Lauren turned to face him and touched his cheek. “Doin’ that’s a bit like… overkill, peaches. I’m sure the team can come up with an equally satisfyin’ solution.”

“Perhaps,” he muttered, caressing the soft skin along her spine. “But mine would be far more fun.”

“I think you and I may have the same definition of fun,” Natasha murmured, eyeing Loki with something akin to camaraderie.

“ _Fun_ as that might be,” Tony muttered, “down here on little old Earth, we have things like laws and procedures to follow.”

“How plebeian,” Loki sighed and rolled his eyes, making Lauren snicker.

Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before continuing. “With Hoyt’s permission, we can use the trails in his financials to follow the money, route out all the Bianci’s holdings, and do away with the family once and for all. One fell swoop and they’re all gone. Guns, drugs, human trafficking, all of it taken down within hours, right from the smallest fish to the biggest boss.”

“And my son-in-law?” Hoyt asked.

“He gets taken first. We can’t have him squealing to his associates that we’re looking at them,” Natasha said.

Hoyt nodded. “And is Montgomery involved? Does he know about this?”

Tony only shrugged. “Yet to be determined, though it appears junior had some rather unsavoury dealings with a few of the lesser ends of the family tree. Guess we know who he owed money too and why he was so scared.” An image popped up of George Montgomery and a short, round, balding male. “That’s Alonzo Mancini. He’s a loan shark and not a very nice one. Breaking knees is a specialty of his.”

Lauren shuddered, and Loki held her tighter.

“We’ve got Hill and Fury running the numbers and pinpointing every location of the Bianci’s assets and holdings. Within the next twenty-four hours they’ll be making a coordinated strike on all targets,” Steve said, leaning a hip against the table.

“And what about this Francis Valentino?” Lauren asked. “And the kids? We were supposed to be takin’ them to town tomorrow and now… I… I just don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Hey, dollface, that’s why we’re sticking around.” Bucky sent her a wink.

“No one’s gonna make a move with the _Avengers_ wanderin’ around, James,” Lauren huffed.

“That’s why we’re going to get Loki to help us out. Tomorrow morning, the four of us and Pepper are going to get on the helicopter and fly away. Or, at least, that’s what it will look like.” Natasha gave a feral smile. “Time to put your tricks to good use, Laufeyson.”

“Actually,” Loki murmured, looking from Lauren to Thor. “It’s Odinson.”


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing and a little smexy

 

 

* * *

The unanimous decision to keep what they’d found out from the rest of the family was, at least to Lauren’s mind, a no-brainer. While she was positive Marabeth had no idea what Samuel was up to, they couldn’t trust she wouldn’t tip off her husband in some way; likely by losing her temper and saying something she shouldn’t.

Telling Magnolia would only put her mother in a tizzy and Cissy was gone, already safely checked into the rehab facility. Loki had produced Lauren’s phone for her while they’d been discussing options with her father, strategy and what tomorrow would bring, and Cissy had kept her word, texting a selfie from outside the facility.

It was so typical of her younger sister Lauren couldn’t help but smile even as she held hard to the hope Cissy would get the help she needed. She texted her back, told her again just how proud she was of her, and let Loki send her phone back to their room.

All of Tony’s toys folded up to be no more than small squares the man tucked securely away inside his jacket before decreeing them finished. There would be no more shop talk that night, and they should all return to the party. Her father had looked relieved, as if being part of the planning, seeing how the team had it all under control, had lightened his worries, and had returned to the party with a smile.

There was only an hour or so left before the guests would venture outside for the fireworks and then the evening would end as everyone gathered their loved ones and headed home, so she found herself, again, in the arms of her husband, swaying to the music beneath the soft lights.

“I think you made Thor’s year,” she said, enjoying the peaceful moment.

Thor had beamed, his smile so wide it looked to split his face in two before he'd grabbed Loki up and pounded on his back, exclaiming his happiness and laughing his big booming laugh at Loki reclaiming the Odinson name.

“It was past time I accepted the truth. I may have been born of Laufey, but he was never my father. The change does not… displeased you?”

“No. I'm happy for you. All that old resentment… it wasn't healthy. I'm glad it's settled.” Though she did think he would, one day, need to talk it out with Odin to really put it to rest.

“You, too, seem much settled,” Loki murmured, his fingers tracing small patterns on her skin.

With her head on his shoulder, Lauren smiled and mimicked the action on his chest. “I am. For all the ups and downs, the secrets, the lies, the trauma of these last few days, I’ve never felt more peaceful or happier to be home than right now.” She lifted her head to smile up at him. “You’ve done that.”

“I cannot take all the credit, darling.” He returned her smile but looked away from her eyes.

She brought her hand to his cheek and caressed it lightly. “Yes, you can,” she whispered. “As much as you’ve said I’ve saved you, you’ve saved me too, _elskan min_. Everythin’s changin’ for the better. Everythin’s been shaken up, and it’s you who made that happen. I couldn’t have done this, become this person, stood up for myself like I have, without you supportin’ me every step of the way. I love you, Loki. What you’ve done-”

He cut off her words by lowering his head and stealing her lips for a kiss which left her breathless. The weight of his hands on her back was perfect. Strong with support but gentle still, like she was fine china he would treat with the most delicate of touches. It made her feel cared for, cherished, and desired. He always made her feel so very special.

When he lifted his head, it was only so he could rest their foreheads together, keeping their noses brushing as he whispered softly, “No matter what aid I have given in these few days, what you have given me is beyond price. I worship and adore you, my heart, and will continue to do so until our last days.”

His words were so heartfelt, it set a ball choking her throat. Her heart was just so full for him. It made her wonder if it would always be so. If one day she’d look at him and no longer get the flutter in her belly, or the clench around her heart.

“It will always be so,” he crooned, tracing his fingertips up her spine. When she arched a brow, wondering if he’d read her mind, he only chuckled. “One does not need to read your mind to see the question and the wonder in your eyes, pet.”

“Tricky god,” she teased. “What am I thinkin’ now if you’re so good at readin’ me?”

“That you could use a beverage, darling. As could I.” He tucked her beneath his shoulder and led her away toward the bar.

“No magic?” she continued to tease. “I’m _shocked_.”

“Minx,” he quipped before grinning at the bartender. “Two of the white.”

In actuality, she was surprised he hadn’t simply produced the glasses as he was want to do. “No, seriously.”

“At times, your Earthly wines are quite nice. Though they have not the potency of an Asgardian grape, there is something unique to the notes and the bouquet. This one,” he nodded to the bartender when he set the glasses down, not Mike who was likely finished for the night, “is quite refreshing. It is a lovely, crisp pinot. ”

She took the offered glass, watched him swirl his gently, smell, and taste with the air of a connoisseur, and giggled softly.  

“What?” he asked.

“You really are fancy,” she snickered, making her way out of the room to the one next door where she spied Tony and Pepper sitting and enjoying their own drinks. A few tables held couples or small groups, but their corner was empty of all but the two of them.

“I appreciate the finer things in life,” he muttered, leading her over to their table when Pepper waved them down.

“As we all do, Loki,” Pepper smiled and reached out to lightly touch the bracer on Lauren’s wrist. “Such as these. They are just divine.”

Lauren blushed and ducked her chin. “They were Frigga’s. I can’t get over how comfortable and pretty they are.”

“They suit you, Lauren. As does the entire ensemble.”

Pepper’s praise only made her blush darken. “I can’t take much credit. Sadie picked the dress and shoes, and Loki really did do the rest.”

“But you are the one wearing it, darling. It would not have the same radiance worn by another,” Loki stated, sipping from his drink but eyeing Marabeth seated alone at a table across the room.

Lauren cast a glance her way. Her sister looked incredibly angry as she texted on her phone, something Lauren couldn’t fault her for. “It really isn’t like Samuel to not show up for one of these parties. You don’t think somethin’s happened to him? I mean… after the-the attempt on Sara…”

Pepper’s took and squeezed her hand. “No, I’m sure he’s fine, right, Tony?”

Tony looked up from his phone. “Nothing’s pinging. You said he and your sister weren’t on the best of terms. Maybe he just skipped out?”

The chair Loki was sitting in shifted and made Lauren jolt in surprise.

“Pardon, darling. I was simply curious to know to whom she was speaking, so I left a copy and took a short walk.” He picked up his wine, a smirk plastered on his lips. “There are a dozen angry text messages to Samuel but only one reply. He was ‘ _working late_ ’ and would make it if he could.”

“Ouch.” Tony winced. “That was hardly subtle.”

“I should…” Lauren made to rise from her seat only to have Loki take her hand.

“No, my heart. You shouldn’t.”

“She’s my sister, Loki. I can’t imagine how much this has gotta be hurtin’ her.”

“Darling,” he sighed but released her. “She hurts you with every interaction, Lauren.”

“I can’t just turn my back, Loki. Even if she can’t care about me, I still care about her.”

“You’re too nice,” Tony grumbled, earning a smack from Pepper.

“Of course she is. She puts up with you, doesn’t she?” Pepper quipped.

Lauren smiled at their banter, loving their easy relationship. She’d always been a little envious of how well they fit. How easy it seemed even when they had a tendency to snip and snarl at each other. They fit, and it was effortless. She could see it in the small glances, the tiny touches, the gestures most people wouldn’t notice.

The light hand Tony placed on her back. The way Pepper always touched his tie or smoothed the shoulders of his jacket. Tony may play off their relationship with a flippant manner, but Lauren had known from the moment she met him, Pepper was the single most important person in his life. He loved her with everything he was and would sacrifice everything he had to keep her safe and happy. In that, he wasn’t so different from Loki.

Perhaps they could eventually reach some common ground and become, if not friends, at least better teammates.

Lauren touched Loki’s arm. “I have to try. Knowin’ what we do… what’s comin’ and what it will mean for her, I have to try, Loki.”

His eyes warmed, and he gave her a nod. “Do not let her bruise your heart, _elskan min_ , or I will be most unhappy.”

She patted his shoulder as she stood and made her way over to where Marabeth was sitting, glaring at her phone. “Marabeth?”

“What do you want?” she huffed.

Lauren held back her sigh as she sat in an adjacent seat. “I wanted to see if you were alright. Samuel’s not here yet, and I was worried.”

“You seem ever so concerned, Lauren. Runnin’ off with your friends. Disappearin’ to twitter behind closed doors with Cissy. Where the hell did Priscilla run off to this time?”

It wasn’t something to speak about in such a public setting, a few eyes already looking their way, and Lauren only shrugged. “I don’t wanna fight with you, Marabeth. I’m sorry you’re havin’ a rough night. Is there anythin’ I can do?”

Cold calculation filled her sister's eyes right before her hand connected with her overly full glass of red wine, toppling it to the table where it shattered and sent the maroon liquid splashing all down the front of Lauren’s gown.

“What the hell, Marabeth!” Lauren barked, jerking to her feet as the liquid seeped across her middle, becoming a bloody red stain.

“Oops?” she said.

By the gleam in her eyes, Lauren knew it was no accident. “Why?” she hissed as Loki came to his feet and hurried over.

“It was just an accident, boo hoo. I’m certain your fiancé can put you to rights or change your dress or do whatever he pleases.” She shrugged, her face impassive, but her eyes were full of glee.

“Come away, darling,” Loki crooned. “You are wasting your breath.”

Anger and disappointment warred inside Lauren.

She tried. She was always trying with this one, but she wasn’t sure why she bothered anymore. She wanted to spit and snarl, to give Marabeth a piece of her mind, but knew making a scene would only serve Marabeth’s purpose. “You’re right, Loki. Some people never change.”

A whip of green magic raced around her, removing the wine from her dress and the shattered remains of the glass from the table with ease. It appeared to be much to Marabeth’s chagrin for her fist clenched over the stain on her own dress as Lauren turned on her heel to walk away.

“A whore’s dress and stolen shoes. You’re really risin’ up in the world, Lauren,” Marabeth muttered.

Loki’s grip on her arm tightened as he turned his head to glare at her sister. “Be careful, _pigeon_. You practically green with envy. What a shame it would be if figurative became literal.”

“And my shoes ain’t stolen, Marabeth. As a lawyer, one would think you’d get your facts straight before you started smearin’ someone’s character.” Lauren lifted her chin and returned across the room, where Tony held out his chair, allowing her to sit with her back to her sister. Evidently, Georgia was telling tales.

“Well, that was… enlightening,” Pepper murmured, patting Lauren’s knee. “You alright?”

“Thank the fates for God's with magic,” Lauren muttered.

“I could make her green with envy if you’d like, darling?” Loki quipped. “She deserves it for deliberately trying to destroy your dress and ruin your evening.”

Lauren shook her head. “No, peaches. I think with all the karma comin’ her way, I’d rather not sully my own.”

“The Norns do seem to have a rather wicked sense of humour,” he murmured, returning to his wine.

“Enough of that nonsense,” Pepper said, casting a hard glare Marabeth’s direction. “Lauren, when are you going to shop for your dress?”

“What dress?” Lauren asked, frowning at Pepper.

“Your wedding dress! I want to help. We’ll have Sadie brought up to stay for a few days, and Natasha and Wanda will want in. We can make it a girls weekend! I’ll plan the whole thing,” the redhead bubbled excitedly.

“Oh… well.” Lauren fidgeted with her ring and glanced Loki’s way.

He stole her hand to play with her ring himself and smiled at Lauren before lifting her knuckles to his lips. “You’ll have to plan for after we return from Asgard. After all, a date for the wedding will need to be set. Is that not right, love?”

Eyes of blue and green watched her with amusement and affection and set Lauren’s heart fluttering in her chest. “Yeah.”

“That was so damn sappy. You practically have heart eyes,” Tony quipped, but he chuckled and lifted his glass. “To the two lovebirds,” he offered.

“May they be blessed by the Norns,” Pepper added, lifting hers as well.

A new blush coloured Lauren’s cheeks, happy to see Tony really was trying, and she lifted her glass to tap it lightly against Pepper’s before taking a sip.

“Thank you, Pepper darling.” Loki sent her a wink as he made to sip from his glass, only to very nearly spit the wine back into it when he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lauren asked, frowning at him.

He chuckled a few more times, wiping at the tears which had formed with his mirth. It wasn’t until she was storming out of the room that Lauren realized Marabeth was in a full fit, spitting orders into her phone.

“You say nothin’ until I get there! Do you understand me?” she barked and swept out.

“Oh, my. That can’t be good,” Lauren murmured. “I ain’t seen her that mad since she lost to Julianna Smith at the Miss Greenville pageant. Whatever could have set her off?”

Loki snorted out another laugh before managing to contain himself. “Apologies, my sweet, but it seems your karmic retribution has come through quite… uh… spectacularly. The Fates truly have a ruthless sense of justice.”

“What’s that mean, rein-uh, Loki?” Tony caught himself, earning a radiant smile from Lauren.

Her gleeful God of Mischief was in full effect when he smirked Tony’s direction as well. "Well, it seems my darling Lauren’s brother-in-law has gotten himself in quite the pickle. He’s been arrested."

Lauren was confident the three of them were wearing identical looks of shock. “What? For what? Is this goin’ to screw up… everythin’?”

He patted her hand. “Fear not, my love. His actions tonight, and what he’s being detained for, have nothing to do with us.”

“So? What did he do?” Pepper asked, leaning forward. Her opinion of Samuel and what he was doing had been made quite clear during their impromptu meeting, and she looked nearly as gleeful as Loki at the prospect of him getting his comeuppance.

Loki grinned and appeared to be so thoroughly enjoying himself, Lauren was almost concerned.

"It appears... he was caught frequenting a house of ill repute. From what I gathered by listening to the call your sister just received, he was... rather tied up, being whipped on the bottom by his mistress - the infamous Crystal - whom one could hazard to guess is actually his madam, whilst... how do I put this delicately?” He tapped a finger to his lips as magic and amusement danced in his eyes.

“Just spit it out, peaches,” Lauren grumbled.

“... pleasuring another man with his mouth."

"Oh, my god!" Lauren’s hand flew to hers in shock. “Sweet, sufferin’ Jesus! Marabeth is gonna go nuclear!”

Tony burst out laughing and pulled his phone from his pocket. “Oh, shit! That’s some karma,” he chuckled.

“Wow,” Pepper whispered, her eyes huge. “In this case, karma really was a bitch.”

“I think that was Samuel,” Lauren murmured, only to slap her hand to her mouth when Pepper and Tony both shot her looks of disbelief. “Sorry!” she squeaked. “Inside voice slipped out!”

Loki laughed and tugged her hand away. “I adore that inside voice. You certainly should let her out much more often,” he said before turning a questioning gaze on Tony. “You really had nothing to do with this?”

“I swear it,” Tony muttered, leaning forward over the table. “Looks like there was a sting op set up by the feds on the club your brother-in-law must have frequented. It was poor timing on his part.” His face twisted in disgust. “Oh, geez… there’s video.”

“Tony! Put that away!” Pepper slapped at his arm.

“I’ll let Hill know what’s happening. She can see to it he stays put, leaving us free to work tomorrow unencumbered.” He looked up, then, and smiled at Lauren. “This is some party you’ve thrown. Mine are never this exciting.”

“Thank goodness for that!” Lauren barked, making them all laugh.

“Now, Mrs. Odinson,” Tony smirked, the gleam in his eye making Lauren wary. “Tell me more about these… pageants you were in.”

“Oh, geez,” she groaned. “I knew that was gonna bite me in the ass.”

***

Loki's patience was waning with each passing tick of the clock. He wanted all these people gone. He wanted to see this party end. He wanted to slip away with his woman. He wanted his wife.

But, with Cissy’s disappearance and now Marabeth’s leaving, Magnolia had latched onto Lauren, having found them seated with Tony and Pepper, and insisted on Lauren accompanying her as she mingled.

It made Lauren unhappy, his heart stone seeming to sing a requiem, but she’d stood like the dutiful daughter and gone along.

He hated it. Hated how Magnolia treated her like a servant one minute and a bother the next. Her comments were backhanded and snide, and with each passing minute chipped away at the confidence Lauren had gained until he was ready to tear his hair out.

But when he'd tried to retrieve his wife, Magnolia had made a rather loud scene about how he'd monopolized Lauren all night, and a mother only wanted to spend time with her daughter. Thor's hand coming down on his shoulder and Lauren's beseeching eyes were the only reason he’d bowed out gracefully and walked away.

The woman was a leech, and not even Hoyt and his warnings could remove Magnolia’s hand from Lauren’s arm.

It was as if she was showing off a prize pony, constantly praising Lauren for her relationship with the Avengers, and continually mentioning how close she was to Thor.

Lauren would smile tightly and speak with whichever group her mother had dragged her into while quietly asserting her position as Loki’s fiancé, much to her mother's annoyance. When people asked about her jewelry, she would flush with pleasure, touch the heart stone, and state softly they were gifts from her _Ástvinur_.

She sparkled and glowed in those moments, a regal and beautiful princess, but her grace seemed only to anger Magnolia more. The madness on her mother was growing, and when the conversations of other groups and couples around the room began to register, he knew why.

Lauren had quite outshone her mother. She was the talk of the evening in her gown and jewels, and with the guests she'd come home with. She'd firmly replaced her mother in the spotlight, and Magnolia was trying to reclaim it but only succeeding in making Lauren shine that much brighter.

“I can't tell whether your planning murder or if you're just incredibly amused,” Natasha said, appearing at his side.

“Some of each,” Loki murmured. “She hates this, but she's incredibly poised.”

“I knew her family was… difficult, but I had no idea it was like this.”

“This is better than it was. She has begun to resolve a few things. Her youngest sister and father have expressed remorse for what they participated in, her mother needs help but does not want it, and Marabeth… she is dangerous.”

“This another feeling?” she asked with curiosity and without scorn.

“An observation. She takes great pleasure in hurting Lauren, has been abusive to her own children, and while I agree with Lauren that Marabeth is far too prideful to allow another to manipulate and control her, I would not put it past her to try and twist what happens next to her advantage.”

“Your husband getting caught in a game of slap and tickle in an underground sex club isn't exactly something you can twist to your advantage,” Natasha snorted, trying not to laugh. The team had all been quietly informed, though they’d yet to tell Hoyt. “Guess he's not going to be making that run for Governor anymore.”

“Indeed, but she can always say she was the poor, unaware spouse, or perhaps he abused her. Their fights are quite volatile. Mayhaps she will claim he has an addiction or problem and appear to play the supportive, loving spouse. There are many ways to twist this, and she is very good at making people see what she wishes them to.”

“Except you?”

He glanced her way. “One cannot lie to the God of them, Natalia.”

She hummed thoughtfully, her green eyes assessing. “So, you're saying in an interrogation, if a perp lied you would just… know?”

“Indeed. Though if you wished to know just what the lie was about I would have to search his memory.”

“You can do that?” she barked, staring at him in shock.

He gave a nonchalant shrug. “It is not necessarily a _pleasant_ experience for either party. I dislike doing it unless required.”

Her fist darted out and popped him one in the ribs, making him grunt, but it wasn't painful. In fact, he'd seen her do the same with the Captain or Burton or any of the others when they annoyed her, and he looked at her in surprise.

“Next time we do an interrogation, your ass is coming along!” She looked thoroughly put out.

Loki made to reply when the revulsion slammed so hard through his link to Lauren it made his stomach roll. He jerked his head around seeking the cause.

“What? What's wrong?” Nat asked, snapping to attention.

“Lauren. She’s very uncomfortable. Something or someone sickens her greatly.” He found her standing with her mother and the Daltons.

“How do you know?”

He tapped a finger against his throat. “The torque. It contains my heart stone, a jewel imbued with my blood and my magic. It allows me to feel and find her when she's afraid or in trouble. It was how I knew she was in danger tonight. As her _Ástvinur_ , it is my duty to always see her happy, and the connection to her emotions allows for greater understanding of her needs.” He narrowed his eyes as his gaze landed on the man whose hand continued to caress his wife’s arm. “The man touching her. He fills her with disgust.”

“That's Bill Dalton,” Sadie said as she and Marcus hurried over. “He's… not a nice man.”

“He's always had an unhealthy, uh, appreciation for Lauren,” Marcus agreed.

A low growl rippled from Loki’s throat. “I-”

“No, you won't.” Natasha stepped into his path, her palm planted firmly on his chest. “Don't glare at me! I'll take care of it. If you go over there all angry fiancé, threatening God, it will rile things up again.” She stepped back and smiled, causing her entire persona to change. “Besides, I'm rather good at distracting men.”

She was gone in an instant, working her way through the people like a siren sliding through the waves.

“Damn!” Marcus wheezed.

“It is impressive to watch her work. One would think her a magical creature herself with how she changes to fit the moment.” Loki watched her slip between Lauren and Bill seamlessly, her smile immediately catching and holding Bill's interest. “Explain to me what this _unhealthy appreciation_ entailed,” he said, turning piercing green eyes to Marcus.

“Wow…” Sadie sighed. “They really do change colour.”

He blinked at her and had some of his anger fall away. “Has Lauren been telling tales, Sadie darling?”

“More like gushin’ praise but yeah.” She smirked and gave him a saucy wink.

Loki chuckled but wasn't entirely deterred. “Marcus?”

He and Sadie exchanged a look. “Since Lauren was about fourteen, Dalton’s been… touchy with her.”

“He's always made her uncomfortable,” Sadie agreed. “Mostly it was comments, starin’, sometimes he’d do like he was now, touchin’ her arm or shoulder. He always tries to dance with her, but usually, we could avoid him. My momma was often the wall between her and Bill.”

Loki did not bother to ask about Lauren’s parents, just returned to watching as Natasha so thoroughly charmed the wretched man Lauren was able to step back and escape both him and her mother.

She sent a quick glance around the room, smiling when she found him and was on her way back to them when Georgia Dalton caught up and grabbed her by the arm.

“Ah, hell no,” Sadie muttered and marched forward, swiftly followed by Marcus who kept trying to catch his wife’s arm.

“Sadie. Sadie June! Don't go makin’ a scene,” Marcus muttered.

By the time they reached Lauren, the argument was already escalating from harsh whispers to nearly full voice, though they'd yet to draw eyes their way.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Georgia. If y’all couldn’t or wouldn’t pay for the shoes, they ain’t yours!” Lauren wrenched her arm away.

“They’re mine, Lauren Annandale! I want them. And after how you treated me earlier, y’all should giv’em to me!” Georgia spat.

“I wasn't about to lie to Thor about a relationship we don't, and never have, had!” Lauren snapped.

“They ain’t yours, Georgia! Like I’ve explained a thousand times,” Sadie threw her hands up in exasperation, “if you order them, then back out at the last minute, your deposit is non-refundable! It took me months to get them in, and they were damn expensive! If y’all keep this up, I swear to God, I will burn those damn shoes the minute Lauren takes them off!”

“Why wait?” Loki asked and snapped his fingers, replacing Lauren’s footwear with an equally stunning pair of his own making, the ones in question now residing in his palm. “They seem to be nothing but trouble for you, Sadie dear. Allow me to rectify the problem.” Flames of green burst around his hand and the shoes smouldered and melted within seconds, dripping from his fingers to puddle in a pile of goo on the floor.

Lauren’s hand shot to her mouth, wicked amusement glowed in the depths of her green eyes, and he knew she was covering a smile of the same potency. Sadie looked as if she wanted to protest, but shot a glance at Georgia whose face was ashen and couldn’t contain the gleeful grin which spread upon her lips.

“Thanks, Loki. You’re a real peach,” Sadie quipped, leaning in to kiss his cheek as he let the rest of the mess fall from his fingers.

“Why you… that… those were…” Georgia let loose a high pitched whine of disbelief before rushing away.

Lauren snorted out a giggle. “What you really do with them, peaches?”

He flicked his fingers and made the mess vanish. “They’re on that lovely, sturdy table in Sadie’s shop.”

“Oh, my gosh! You didn’t… that’s not… oh, I love you!” Sadie squealed and threw her arms around him.

Loki chuckled and patted her back. “You truly will make your husband jealous, Sadie, if you keep saying such things.”

She bounced on her wickedly tall shoes and turned to lay a smacking kiss to Marcus’s lips. “He knows he’s my beau, but _that_? Mr. Mischief! That was somethin’ else!”

“Y’all had me goin’,” Marcus said, his eyes still rather wide.

“Are you causing trouble, brother?” Thor asked, arriving at Loki’s elbow.

“Only his usual sort,” Lauren teased.

“Y’all really, _really_ need to come back for Halloween! Havin’ Loki help out with the Haunted House would guarantee a great turn out and brin’ in so many donations,” Sadie gushed.

Thor peered at her curiously. “Donations?”

“Don’t get her started, Thor,” Lauren snickered, only to have Sadie flap her hands Lauren’s direction.

“C’mon, your majesty. Marcus and I will tell you all about his family’s foundation.” She threaded her arm through Thor’s offered elbow, stuck her tongue out at Lauren, and walked away, chattering like a magpie with Marcus interjecting often.

“That is the most animated I have seen her husband all night,” Loki murmured as he collected Lauren close.

“The Brockett’s foundation is fundamental to him. They help with homelessness, underprivileged youth, and a lot of other things. It’s what Marcus does. He and Sadie are real active in fundraisin’, though Sadie does love her shop.”

“I like your friends, darling.” He gently stroked his knuckle down her cheek, needing to touch her like he needed to breathe. “If the cause is important to them, I will assist where I can.”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh, she’ll be so excited!”

“I’m sure she will be, but how are you, my love? That _man_ was clearly upsetting you.” He caressed her arm, seeking to remove the feel of the other man’s touch from her skin.

“I’m fine, Loki. I’m used to Bill and his ways.”

“But you shouldn’t have to be.” Here, again, he’d found another point in her past to despise and lifted his hands to cup her face. “I would have come to your aid, but Natasha thought her approach might be less… violent.”

A brilliant smile appeared on her lips. “You and Nat did somethin’ together. That’s nice.”

“I told you everything would work out, my love.”

“That you did, peaches. That you did.” Her smile didn’t waver, her happiness blinding as she reached up to play with a curl of hair caught on his collar.

“Is this insufferable party ever going to end?” he whispered, pulling her closer. “I have a need to see my wife laid bare before me.”

Soft fingers traced the length of his neck. “Soon. Everyone should start headin’ outside for the fireworks. It’s nearly midnight.”

“Ah, the witching hour. And will you bewitch me, my love?”

“It seems only fair, seein’ how you bewitched me months ago.”

“Come away with me,” he urged, drawing her toward the outer doors. “Come and walk in the gardens with me.” He wanted time alone with her. Away from prying eyes. Away from grasping hands and grating voices.

She followed unresistingly, her hand clutched in his, catching up the front of her dress with the other as the two of them rushed down the stairs like children. A giggle escaped her lips, the sound giddy, reminding him of the young girl in the picture on her Gran’s mantel.

Grabbing her around the waist, Loki lifted her up and swung her in a circle, laughing when she did, too happy not to, a peel of it ringing out into the night. He kept her high, wrapped in his arms, and shifted them to the secret clearing of roses he'd hidden near the _Fortryllende_ tree where the scent of both flowers filled the air in a heady aroma.

When he brought her down, her arms were around his neck, and her body flush with his. “I love you,” he murmured, sliding his hand into her hair and knocking it free to tumble down her back. “It doesn't sound like enough, those words. My love for you is so grand. So big. Three words don't seem enough to express it all.”

“Loki.” Her eyes reflected the stars as she looked up at him.

Magic wicked out around them, and he sat on the lounger he'd created, pulling her down with him and laying her back into the cushions. “So I will simply have to show you, every day, for the rest of our lives how much you mean to me.”

“You think I don't know?” A soft smile curved her lips as her fingertips caressed his cheek and tucked down the front of his tunic to pull him closer. “I know, Loki. I see it every time you look at me. I feel it in every touch. If you never repeated it, I'd never doubt you felt it.”

“Lauren.” His breath hitched, and his heart thundered in his chest. “You humble me.”

“Good, you were gettin’ too big for your britches again,” she teased, her smile full of mischief.

“And here I am, trying to have a romantic moment, pouring my heart out to you, woman, and you insist on teasing me,” he huffed indignantly.

“Loki.” She gave his tunic another tug. “It’d be more romantic if you stopped talkin’ and just kissed me.”

“Would it, now?” he chuckled.

“Unless you don't want to kiss me.”

She pouted, and it was so damn pretty he was helpless but to lean down and take her plump lip between his teeth. The moan this produced shivered through his body and settled in his loins.

“You set me aflame, my Valkyrie,” he purred against her.

“And you’ve got too many clothes on,” she groaned, her hands wandering the hard plains and angles of leather and metal protecting his chest.

“Once we retreat to our bedchamber, darling, I shall remove it all for you, but if I were to do so now, I would be hard-pressed not to strip you bare and take you beneath the stars.”

“Do you hear me complainin’?” Desire flared in the stone at her throat and heat warmed her cheeks.

Loki brushed his nose over hers. His hand grazed her side. He gently cupped her cheek and slowly touched their mouths together in a whisper of a kiss. “Patience, my heart. We will watch the fireworks, see the others settled, check on the children, and then I will take you to bed and assuage the desire growing in your belly.”

She sighed her disappointment. “Fine.” A new pout graced her lips.

“Adorable,” he chuckled and nipped her lip again before laying at her side and bringing her over to settle against his chest.

She reached for the hem of her dress, pulling on it until it bunched around her thigh. Quick as a snake, she was straddling his hips, rising over him like the Valkyrie he named her. Her hair swung forward to curl over her chest, her hands pressed to his torso, and she smiled, wicked and wide when she settled over him.

“And just what do you think you're doing, Mrs. Mischief?” he asked once he found his voice.

“You didn't say nothin’ about makin’ out beneath the stars.” She laid on him, arms crossed over his chest to hold him down, and kissed the tip of his nose.

“Minx,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

Her nose nudged his chin up, and he tilted his head back, allowing her to use her lips and teeth on his throat. It felt far too good, but she kept her kisses slow and soft, her teeth a gentle scrape. Her hands shifted from his chest to his hair while he traced the lines of muscle in her back. Still, he grew hard and ached for her, but the way she moved, her touch and even the wash of her breath on his skin was almost drugging.

There was no urgency, just a quiet moment of connection. He felt as if her soul reached out, her light seeking his darkness, and the two meshed, blending together in a moment of pure connection.

She lifted her head enough to find his lips, and he let her lead. Let her in when her tongue sought access to his mouth and moaned for her when she twined them together. He tangled his fingers in her hair, but only to slide them through her locks in a tender caress.

He'd never had this in a previous relationship. Not that he'd truly had ‘relationships’ before her. He'd had sex, certainly, but never _feelings_ to this extent. Not to the point where he wanted to touch and hold and cuddle. To where he could lay beneath his woman and kiss her unhurriedly, let her lead and remain the passive, unresisting receiver of her love.

She humbled him at every turn.

When she finally broke away to breathe, he smiled and wondered if it looked as stupid as it felt.

“What?” She snickered, and he knew it did.

“I have never simply made out before. It was quite… pleasurable.”

“A first for my God of Mischief?” She smiled and seemed incredibly pleased with herself.

He twisted with her to press her into the cushions. “Many, many firsts with you, my Lauren, my heart, my wife, and soon,” he pressed a kiss to her jaw, sucked gently on her pulse point, and tugged on her earlobe. “My lover,” he crooned against her ear.

“ _Elskan min_ ,” she moaned and quaked beneath him.

“The people are gathering, beloved. Let us attended the fireworks. Then, there will be only minutes remaining until I can attend to _you_.”

“You're such a damn tease!” she huffed when he rocked a very firm bulge against her hot core.

“It takes one to know one,” he chuckled as he lifted himself from the lounger and looked his fill. Her dress was rucked up around her thighs, and she looked pleasingly dishevelled. “Soon I will be able to leave you in such a state,” he murmured, stroking a fingertip up the inside of her calf.

She lifted her foot from the lounger, sending her dress sliding higher up her thigh. “Nice shoes.”

The peep-toed golden pump had roses and vines wrapped around the heel and sparkled with droplets of water created from precious stones.

“You will not tempt me, woman,” he growled, though he captured her foot, lifted it higher, and kissed her ankle.

“Are you sure?” She traced a finger down the valley between her breasts, over her stomach, and paused at the apex of her thighs.

“What Norn did I displease to end up with such a teasing _Ástvinur_?” he growled as he knelt back between her thighs. “I should make you scream for me, cry out your pleasure for everyone to hear for such trickery.” He sank his hand beneath her dress, and she gasped and blushed and bit her lip, excitement and concern in her eyes.

He grazed the silk covering her scorching core, found it soaked, and pulled away. “But I won't because your cries of pleasure are for me and me alone to witness.”

“Loki,” she groaned.

He grinned wickedly at her. “Come along, darling. We are missed.” He lifted from her and pulled her up with him, returning her to rights and vanishing the lounger to help keep his sanity in check.

“That was mean,” she pouted.

“You started it,” he chuckled, drawing her through the hedge and out onto the path.

“I expect you to finish it later.”

“Oh, darling.” He dragged her into his arms and smirked down at her, causing her breath to catch. “I will finish it many, _many_ times,” he whispered.

“Oh, my,” she breathed and melted into him.

He laughed darkly, kissed her nose, and helped her steady before leading her toward the others.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: language, smexy, fluff, Loki being Loki

 

* * *

Lauren rested her head back on Loki’s shoulder and watch the fireworks colour the dark sky. Red, white, and blue, she knew they were her daddy’s doing. The fireworks were his favourite part of the night, and he always took great care to put on a good show.

They were big and bright and lasted about ten minutes, the Greensville Fire Chief happy to assist and oversee the pyrotechnics, even in his suit.

Before they started, her father had stood on the top of the terrace steps with her mother and thanked everyone for coming, wished them all a happy Fourth, and reminding everyone to drive safe or catch one of the waiting arranged rides if they needed to. Cars could be picked up tomorrow, but lives couldn't be replaced after an accident.

“I love fireworks,” she said softly, holding tight to the arms which wrapped around her waist from behind. “Especially those ones. They're called Roman Candles.”

Loki hummed softly in agreement. “We do something similar on feast days or during grand celebrations, though ours are done with magic.”

“I bet they're beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you, darling.”

She tilted her head back further, longing for another kiss, one he appeared happy to grant her while the sparking and pops of colour crescendo and caused the crowd to _ooh_ with appreciation before breaking out in applause.

He broke away to watch the final show, a look of happiness on his face Lauren had rarely seen.

“You are staring, my heart,” he said without looking away from the colourful display.

“You look happy.”

“I am happy.”

“That makes me happy,” she said with a smile.

He glanced down and chuckled. “Have I told you yet that you are adorable?”

“Maybe you should refresh my memory,” she teased.

Before he could, the fireworks ended with more applause, and everyone began their slow meander away from the house, some lingering for one last look at the gardens. Sadie and Marcus approached, and Loki released her when the brunette held out her arms.

Lauren stepped swiftly into them and hug her friend tightly. “Thanks for comin’, Sadie.”

“Lu, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!” Sadie chuckled. “This has been one of the best nights of my life. We’ll see you tomorrow, right? For the picnic and the fair?”

“Yeah,” Lauren nodded. “We’ll be there.” It was already decided.

The team would be disguised as per Loki’s abilities and spend the day rotating through and around the town, watching for the Bianci’s henchmen. Loki would, of course, be with her and the children as well as Thor, but the others would take turns shadowing them throughout the day.

“You gonna auction off a basket?” Marcus asked.

“Oh, well… I wasn’t, no. There just hasn’t been time…” Lauren hedged, fidgeting with her fingers.

“Basket? Auction?” Loki frowned.

“For charity,” Marcus explained. “The women put together a picnic basket and the men bid to both eat their incredible cookin’ and spend time with a lovely lady.” He gave his wife a wink.

“Oh, stop, you big flirt,” Sadie giggled.

“Lauren cooks?” Steve asked, his eyes wide and bright.

“Only a little,” Lauren tried to play it off, knowing what would happen next if she didn’t, only to be outed by her best friend.

“Shut your mouth, Lulu! You’re the best damn cook in the county besides Sue Ann!” Sadie boasted.

“Sadie June,” Lauren sighed. “Y'all need to hush up.”

“Wait! You cook? Like real southern cooking?” Tony said from behind her.

Lauren nearly whimpered. “Nope, not at all. Can’t cook a lick,” she muttered, but the curiosity on each face showed she wasn’t fooling anyone.

Loki chuckled softly, gathered her close, and kissed her temple. “I do not think they believe you, darling.”

“How come you don’t cook at home?” Natasha asked.

“Because! Y’all eat like a pack of lions!” Lauren huffed. “I’d never get outta the kitchen if I did.”

Thor smirked at Sadie. “She’s that good?”

“Oh, hun. That girl could make a super soldier fat with her cookin’. You ain’t never tasted anythin’ better than Lauren’s Hummin’bird Cake.” Sadie giggled and sent Lauren a wink.

“Y’all are a bad friend,” Lauren grumbled. “Do you know the size of the basket I’d have to put together to feed one of… them?” She wiggled her fingers at Thor, Bucky, and Steve.

“Hey!” Tony barked. “I like to eat.”

“You like to drink,” Lauren corrected, causing Pepper to snicker, and crossed her arms over her chest. “There’s no time.”

“Y’all can do it,” Sadie insisted. “It’s for such a good cause, Lu, and look at all the people who’ll bid. C’mon. You know you want to.”

She sighed, knowing Sadie wouldn’t let it be.

Loki brushed his lips over her ear. “I can assist you, darling,” he whispered. “We can make time in the morning.”

Lauren really didn’t want to. It wasn’t so much the work or effort needed to put together a basket worth buying, it was the standing up there on stage, being sold like a prize-winning pig to the highest bidder she hated.

As if he could read her mind, Loki’s breath washed over her ear. “I would never let you go to anyone but me, pet.”

He was so quiet, she doubted anyone heard them but her, making the words all the more potent for the claiming they were. They were like velvet, skating down her spine, causing her to shiver and her heart to trip.

She glanced at him, and his eyes held the same warmth and softness as his words. A dark, sensual promise resided in them, and she gave in without effort. “Alright. I’ll… figure it out.”

Sadie squealed happily. “Thanks, Lu!”

“You’re doin’ us a favour, Lauren. The more money we can raise, the better,” Marcus agreed.

“Long as I don’t end up with Bill Dalton or Jasper Rubin,” she muttered, continuing to peer up at Loki with pleading eyes.

“Of course not, darling,” he assured her, his hands caressing her arms. “But it is late, and you, my heart, are tired. Come. We should check on the children and put you to bed.”

His eyes heated further with the final word, slowly darkening into a liquid green which seemed to sear her right to the bones. A slight blush grew on her cheeks, and Lauren looked shyly away. “I am kinda wrung out,” she said softly.

“Of course you are, Lu,” Sadie laughed, taking and squeezing Lauren’s hand. “It’s not every day you marry a God, after all,” she teased, her eyes full of amused knowing. “We’ll see y’all tomorrow!” With a wave and bright grin, the Brockett’s were off, Sadie plucking the keys from her husband’s palm with a parting giggle and saucy wink Lauren’s direction.

“How come I didn’t know you cooked?” Bucky pouted, his lip sticking out like a thirty-year-old child.

Lauren smacked him in the arm. “Don’t start. I made you fudge.”

“What!” Natasha gasped. “I love fudge. How dare you betray me like this?”

“You never told me you made it,” Bucky huffed.

Lauren rolled her eyes and headed for the house, waving at a few partygoers who called out their goodbyes and compliments on the stunning decor.

“I like fudge,” Pepper sighed forlornly.

“I like cookies, but you never told anyone about the chocolate chip ones you smuggle in to hide in your desk,” Lauren quipped.

“Lauren!” she gasped.

“Y’all aren’t stickin’ me in the kitchen to cook and bake in an endless cycle for the bottomless pits of this team.”

“What about just once?” Steve asked.

He looked at her with those bright blue puppy dog eyes, and Lauren could feel herself caving. “Y’all have no understandin’ of the word once. I’ll make dinner then someone will be conveniently missin’, requirin’ me to make another dinner cause Sam or Clint or Scott just happened to miss out. It’ll become a never endin’ cycle of ‘Lauren’s Country Kitchen’ like I’m some kinda Food Network chef!”

“You could always make them the breakfast you made me, darling.”

“Traitor!” Lauren barked, glaring at Loki but the light of mischief in his eyes had her arching her brow in intrigue. The deviant, tricky light she knew far too well gave her pause. Clearly, he had a plan, one he would share with her later.

“Ugh!” She threw her hands up, feigning defeat. “Fine! I’ll make breakfast, but y’all don’t get a say in what we’re havin’.”

“If you impressed Loki, little sister, you will impress the others. Loki was the finickiest of eaters as a child. Mother used to think he would waste away with how little he consumed,” Thor chuckled.

“I was not finicky, brother. You simply out ate me. There was never anything left!” Loki huffed.

“Bah!” Thor dismissed him with a wave. “It is not my fault you were slow to the table.”

Lauren snickered as she walked through the doors to the ballroom, loving the way Thor and Loki bantered and smiled to find the cleaners already hard at work. While the others stopped to talk, she headed into the room with the buffet to assist Sue Ann.

“Don’t you go pickin’ up one plate, missy!” Sue Ann huffed, holding out her hand.

“But I always help,” Lauren said, ignoring the woman to begin stacking half empty serving dishes in a basin.

“Not tonight!” Sue Ann shooed her away from the dishes and planted herself between Lauren and the table. She crossed her arms over her ample chest and glared Lauren down. “And in a white dress, too. Whatever are you thinkin’, girl?”

“I’m thinkin’ you work too hard as it is and could use a hand,” Lauren grumbled.

Sue Ann drew herself up to her less than impressive height, yet still managed to make the action appear intimidating. The buxom woman cast a glance at the other servers who slipped out with their loads of dishes, leaving the two women alone in their standoff.

“Sweetie,” Sue Ann said softly, stepping forward to take Lauren’s hands. “My Lafayette came to see me when I was havin’ my supper.”

“Oh.” Lauren paled and looked down at their joined hands. Sue Ann only ever called her sweetie when there was no one to overhear, an endearment Lauren had cherished when she’d been a little girl looking for love. “I… I don’t know…”

“You did him a favour doin’ what you did.”

A blush burned her cheeks. “I didn’t want to hurt Yette, but…” Lauren looked out the door to Loki, watching from a distance.

“Hun, you don’t ever have to feel bad for findin’ love that wasn’t my Yette. I’ve known for years you didn’t see him like that, but he’s as stubborn at times as his daddy was.” A hint of sadness appeared in Sue Ann’s eyes with the mention of her late husband, but it was swiftly gone again when she blinked. “Y’all found love with a man who adores you. A blind man could see you’ve only got eyes for each other, and it’s ‘bout time you found your happiness. Now, give us a squeeze and get outta here.”

Lauren chuckled and leaned down to hug the woman who’d always been so sweet and kind to her. “Thank you, Sue Ann. Everythin’ tonight was just wonderful.”

“Aren’t you sweet for sayin’ so.” Sue Ann held her tight before setting her back and lowering her voice. “You go on now. I tell you if I had a man that fine to take to my bed, I wouldn’t be hangin’ around to pick up the dishes!” she giggled, glancing Loki’s direction.

“Sue Ann!” Lauren gasped and burst out laughing.

“Honey, it’s been some time since I had a beau, but that man. Mmm,” she hummed appreciatively. “And he talks so pretty.”

Lauren continued to giggle when Sue Ann sent her a wink and shooed her away. “Don’t worry about breakfast for my friends and me tomorrow. Sadie spilled the beans, and now I’m on the hook for a basket.”

Sue Ann nodded. “I’ll leave you to it, miss Lauren.”

Still smiling, Lauren walked back into the ballroom to find her mother had rounded up a few of the maids to begin showing the others to their rooms.

Bucky held out his hand, and Lauren took it willingly. He pulled her in and hugged her tight. “You looked great tonight, Gilli. Congratulations,” he murmured against her ear, washing redness into her cheeks.

“Thank you, James.” She held him just as tight and kissed his cheek. “I’m delighted you came.”

“Me too, doll face. It’s been entertaining watching you run circles around your guy.” He smirked Loki’s direction.

Lauren pulled back to thump her fist down on Bucky’s chest. “I do not!”

“Yeah, you do,” Bucky chuckled. “But it looks good on you both.”

“I am not sure whether to be insulted or take that as a compliment, Sergeant,” Loki said but his grin showed he wasn’t offended in the least. “Though I am quite happy to be at my Lauren’s pleasure, so perhaps you are not far from the truth.”

Her blush grew hotter when the rest of the team laughed. “Hush you,” she tried to glare at Loki  but couldn’t.

Loki only snickered before turning back to the others. “As you were unprepared to stay the night, and seeing as I have already changed your attire once, I feel obligated to see to the rest of your comfort.” He snapped his fingers, and overnight bags appeared at everyone’s feet. “Everything you might require is within.”

He glanced her way, and Lauren smiled for the group. “If y’all don’t mind, we’ll leave you in mama’s more than capable hands to get you settled.”

Magnolia beamed at being back in the spotlight. “Of course! Of course! I do hope y’all enjoyed yourselves tonight. We’re ever so happy to have you,” she gushed, motioning for the maids to come closer.

Steve stopped to give Lauren a hug and clapped his hand down on Loki’s shoulder before he and Bucky followed Claire, who was blushing madly at being charged with showing them to their rooms, away into the house.

Tony nodded to them both while Pepper squeezed Lauren’s hand and kissed Loki’s cheek. They followed Stephanie, the young maid’s eyes full of stars at meeting Iron Man, to which Tony was aware as he flirted shamelessly until Pepper smacked him in the arm.

Natasha gave her a hug before turning to Loki. “When things settle down, and you’re back at the Tower, I wouldn’t be averse to having a conversation about what you can do, magic man.”

Loki arched a brow and gave a minute tilt of his head. “I will bring the vodka.”

“Good.” Nat smiled her Widow’s smile. “We may both need it before we’re finished. If you’ve got any more tricks up your sleeve like the lies and memories one, I may just beat your ass for keeping them a secret.”

“Perhaps I will let you try, Natalia. You have formidable combat skills, but even you could use honing if you’d like a sharper edge.”

Lauren held her breath, hoping Natasha would take it as the offer it was meant, and not the insult it could be confused with. Loki’s tone had held no condemnation, only sincerity, and she prayed the quick to anger redhead would hear it as well.

Her face closed down for but a moment before Nat nodded slowly, the bag in her hand tapping against her thigh. “I’ve watched you with those daggers of yours. I wouldn’t mind sharpening my edge.”

The stiffness in Loki’s shoulders gradually softened, and he cocked his head. “We will speak on it more in the future.”

Thor chuckled and wrapped his arms around Natasha, lifting her into the air. “The little spider has a soft center after all.”

“Don’t make me hurt you, Thor!” Nat barked, her heel connecting with his thigh.

The slightest bit of redness dusted her cheeks, and Lauren smiled to see it. Nat really was trying, and she couldn’t have been happier. “We’ll see you in the mornin’.”

Thor set Nat down, laughing when she turned around and punched him in the arm. “Tiny, like a kitten clawing at a wolf.”

“You are poking at a spider who is known to have a wicked bite, Thor. Perhaps you should be more conservative with your teasing.”

“Listen to your brother.” Natasha glowered at Thor.

The blond Asgardian only grinned wider before sweeping Lauren into a hug which made her wonder if being hugged by a bear would feel the same. “A successful evening, little sister! I will leave you to enjoy your triumph with your _Ástvinur_. Until tomorrow!”

He bussed her a kiss, one which tickled thanks to his beard and made her giggle. “Night, Thor. Nat. Mama.”

Hoyt slipped through the doors at that moment and quickly joined them. “Everyone’s away safely.” He smiled and kissed Lauren’s cheek. “Thank you both for all your help tonight. Especially you, Loki.”

“It was my pleasure.” Loki gave her father a nod.

Hoyt took Magnolia by the arm and held his other out. “Lead on, wife. We’ll get Thor and Natasha settled, and I will see to the rest of the house.”

“Oh, but I-”

Hoyt cut Magnolia off with a look. “I’ll see to it, Magnolia.”

“S-sure,” she murmured, deflating slightly.

The four of them walked off, Thor collecting Natasha’s hand to his arm gallantly to which Nat looked at him like he was up to something.

Lauren covered her mouth with her hand to hide her smile and keep her giggle to herself. “Is… is there somethin’ goin’ on there?” she asked Loki quietly.

His grin flashed onto his lips. “I think Thor may have charmed Natasha rather… aggressively, like your sister and mother, only more so. It is not as bad as it sounds. Occasionally, when there is interest on my brother’s part he can… slip, add a little too much appeal to his action.”

“So… Nat’s what? Charmed?” She frowned, disliking how that sounded.

“Essentially, yes.” Loki sighed and collected her into his arms. “Thor can fix it. Either he will extend an invitation to his bed, or he will remove himself from her presence for a few days until the appeal fades.”

“They’d _sleep_ together?” Lauren hissed, shocked. “But… but that’s… I…” He chuckled and winced when she smacked his chest. “It ain’t funny! Natasha’s all warped from his magic! What if she doesn’t want to sleep with your brother?”

“Then she will say no when the offer is extended. Thor would never force a woman, charmed or not.” His brows had pulled together, face hardening with indignation at her assumption.

“Oh… oh, I shouldn’t have assumed. Of course, Thor wouldn’t do that.” She looked away, her hands linking together and bit her lip. “I just… don’t know how it all works. Sometimes y’alls magic is really confusin’,” she sighed.

He cupped her chin and tilted her face up. “Lauren, my love, it is I who should apologize. You don’t understand. I should not have snapped at you for asking questions.” He placed a sweet kiss on her lips and made her sigh and sway into him. “Come. You ask, and I will explain as we check on the children.

“Alright.” She linked her fingers through his. “Explain… that.”

“While Thor’s appeal will work on, well, anyone really who is not protected in some fashion, as you are, darling, as my _Ástvinur_ , or the children who have not reached sexual maturity, when there is interest on both sides prior to the release of his appeal, there can be a slightly delayed effect to the act. Most, like your sisters, fall beneath his spell and are released from it when he walks away. They would likely have felt… stimulated for a few hours before it wore off completely. Clearly, with Natasha, there has been a lingering effect.”

“Because… she wants to-to sleep with your brother? I had no idea she had feelin’s for Thor.” Lauren felt sure her face was as red as Thor’s outfit had been tonight.

He chuckled softly and paused on the stairs to back her into the railing. “My sweet, innocent Lauren. One can feel sexual attraction for another without having any desire to commence a relationship. Neither Thor nor Natasha has any wish to alter their friendship, but it is not unheard of to… let off steam together.”

“Oh… oh!” Her eyes widened, and her face grew even hotter. “Okay,” she squeaked.

Loki laughed and brought her against his body. “You are too precious, love. I believe the term is _a fuck buddy,_ but I could be mistaken.”

“Stop!” she hissed, closing her hand over his mouth. “I get it!”

He tugged her hand away, continuing to laugh. “As I was saying, if Natalia is receptive to Thor’s invitation, it would break the charm, and she would return to finding him attractive without the desire to… scratch her itch.”

“Peaches!” she barked.

“You are the one who wished for an explanation, darling. How was I to know it would embarrass you so?” he teased, clutching her closer when she tried to wiggle away. “Considering what a naughty minx you are for me, I never would have guessed this would so disconcert you,” he crooned softly and nipped her bottom lip to suck it between his.

Heat shot through her, straight from her lip to her loins like an arrow from Clint’s bow, and a moan soon flowed from her throat. All resistance faded when his hands skimmed down to grasp her bottom and drag her up against him. “Loki,” she sighed, her arms showing a will of their own when they wrapped around his neck.

He released her mouth to skate his lips down her throat. “One more stop, _elskan min_ , and then you are mine until the sun rises.”

Magic wrapped around them, and Lauren moaned again when her back connected with the wall outside the children’s bedroom door. “Loki.”

“I have waited centuries for you,” he whispered, kissing her jaw while his hands brushed up and down her sides. “I can wait minutes more.” He stepped back, holding her until she steadied when her knees wobbled. “Do you know what a compliment it is when I touch you and your knees are weak after?”

Amusement darkened his eyes, and Lauren rolled hers. “I just keep strokin’ that ego of yours, don’t I?” His grin, a wide and wicked one, sent butterflies winging in her belly. She shook her head and quietly opened Benny and Sara’s bedroom door.

The lamp she’d left on the last time Lauren had been in their room remained on, but Benny had migrated into Sara’s bed, having left the one she’d put him in to sleep curled up with his sister.

Usun lifted his head from his position at the foot of their bed and gave a few wags of his tail.

Moving closer, Lauren pet the puppy’s fluffy head and smiled. “You’re a good boy,” she whispered, crouching down when he licked her hands to ruffle his ears.

He rolled onto his back and wiggled, all four feet in the air.

“And a total suck,” she snickered.

Sara stirred, a whimper followed, and she startled awake with a cry.

“Oh, baby,” Lauren murmured, shifting to sit on the edge of the bed where she could reach over Benny and brush Sara’s hair back. “It’s okay, sugar cube. You’re safe.”

“Aunt Lu,” she whimpered, “I had a bad dream.”

A little sob shuddered from her and broke Lauren’s heart. “It was just a dream, peaches. Nothin’ bad can get to you here. Not with Usun in the room and Loki’s magic protectin’ you.”

“Promise?” she asked, her eyes shining with unshed tears.

“Cross my heart.” Lauren smiled and nodded.

“Aunt Lu?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“Will you sing me a song?” Sara asked, her eyelids already beginning to droop.

“Which one, baby?” Lauren gently brushed her cheek, running her fingers lightly from Sara’s temple, over her forehead, and down the other side before repeating the action, one she’d learned from her Gran.

“The dilly, dilly song?”

She should have known and smiled at the request. “I think I can handle that one. You shut your eyes, hun.” Sara nodded slowly, her blue eyes disappearing behind long, dusky lashes as Lauren continued to gently stroke her brow and started to sing. “Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green.  When you are King, dilly dilly, I shall be Queen.”

Loki moved closer, but Lauren never took her eyes off the child, watching Sara’s breathing begin to slow.

“Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so? 'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so. Lavender's blue, dilly dilly, lavender's green. When you are King, dilly dilly, I shall be Queen.”

Sara took a deep breath and sighed it out, slipping back into sleep with the ease only a child could obtain.

“Who told you so, dilly dilly, who told you so? 'Twas my own heart, dilly dilly, that told me so.” Lauren shortened the song, knowing Sara wouldn’t need more than a few verses to see her back in dreamland, and rose to her feet to lean over the bed and press a kiss to first Sara’s forehead and then Benny’s.

His bear had fallen to the floor, and she picked it up, tucking the well-loved stuffy beneath his arm before giving Usun another quick scratch.

The puppy’s eyes were full of wonder, a new adoration she’d not seen before, and Lauren had to suppress a giggle. “One would think you’d never heard anyone sing before,” she whispered, gently stroking his ear.

“Not like that,” Loki whispered, drawing her attention.

His mouth hung open, his awe apparent, and Lauren waved a dismissive hand his way even as an all-new blush coloured her cheeks. “Stop. You’re just sayin’ that.”

He caught her hand and drew her out the door, shutting it softly behind them before drawing a symbol on the wood. “I will know if they wake or another should visit in the night.”

Marabeth wasn’t back yet, and who knew what kind of mood she would be in when she returned. “That’s good, Loki. Thank you.”

He gathered her close, and in a flash of magic, they arrived outside her door. “But, darling… you have a gift. You sang Sara to sleep.”

Lauren only laughed. “She was already most of the way there, Loki. It was nothin’.”

“No, no, my heart.” Again he backed her into the wall beside her door and held her there, caged her there, his desire evident when he pressed his body to hers. “There was magic in the way you sang, clear and pure and so lovely. I told you when you became fully of Asgard the traits in you which were strongest would become even greater. This will, evidently, be one of them. Even I felt the pull of your voice.”

“You’re sweet, but it’s just singin’, Loki. I’ve always been good at it.” She shrugged, not quite believing him that it was anything special.

“You will see, love. You will see.”

He kissed her then, softly, reverently. A kiss full of love and devotion, but heat bubbled beneath the surface, and when she nipped his lip and sank her hands in his hair, he let it boil over and scorch her in the flames of his desire.

“Loki,” she sighed and tugged on his locks. He lifted his head enough for her to see the blazing green overtake his eyes. “Husband… take me to bed,” she whispered.

His hand came up, and he placed his palm against her door. “Oh, darling… it would be my absolute pleasure.”

***

His magic wicked out, changing and staging their room for what would come next. “Open the door… _wife_.”

A shiver shook her when he stepped back, but it was only so he could sweep her up in his arms like the bride she was.

She giggled nervously, gave the knob a turn, pushed the door open, and inhaled sharply. “Loki!”

The entire suite had been changed in a blink of time. Though the same bed remained, the rest had been removed, replaced with polished floors and golden walls, a divan which was nearly a throne sat before an ornate stone fireplace. Where her dressers once resided, he’d placed a table laden with light but sustaining foods should she grow hungry, and pitchers of water and wine.

Though their bed remained, the sheers no longer hung around it. Instead, they’d been replaced with traditional hangings. Vines with softly smelling flowers, similar to the wisteria which grew here on Earth, draped down from above, creating a bower beneath a blessing for this their binding night.

And beyond the windows, instead of Midgard and the gardens which were even now returning to their former appearance, the view from his balcony in Asgard greeted them.

“This,” he said as he walked inside and locked the door behind them, “is what would be waiting for us on Asgard. The flowers were created many millennia ago by Skaldi as a blessing for a newlywed couple. It is said those who consummate their union beneath such a bower will be blessed with joy many times over. The rest, well… it is a near replica of my bedchamber.” A few things were missing, but nothing of importance for tonight.

“It’s beautiful, Loki,” she murmured, taking everything in.

He set her on her feet, and she made her way toward the windows to peer out between the curtains. “You’re home is so amazin’, peaches. I can hardly believe we’re still on Earth with how real this all looks.”

“I’m pleased you like it,” he said, pouring each of them a glass of the wine. It was spiced, something far different than anything she would have tried on Midgard, and again, unique for the evening.

“Loki.”

He turned to look at her, holding a glass in each hand.

She stood before the doors, only feet away, with the moons of Asgard shining through the curtains. Radiant had been the word he’d used for her earlier, but now, as she reached behind her head to pull pins free and shake her hair out in curling waves of sunshine-coloured silk, Loki found the word lacking. She was so much more than merely radiant.

How did one describe a glow which came from within and shone out brighter than the moon? How could he express the blinding brilliance of her soft smile or the way her emerald eyes appeared lit with internal fire? He could study her for the next century and never be able to adequately articulate just how incredibly beautiful he found her.

When she slipped the dress off her shoulders and let it fall to pool on the ground around her ankles, he almost dropped the glasses.

“Darling,” he sighed, her appearance leaving him virtually speechless.

The satin of her undergarment caressed her flesh, the colour complimenting her sun-kissed skin perfectly. He wasn’t sure whether to call it ivory or cream, but the colour was not what left him tongue-tied. The garment cut high on her thighs, deep on the sides, and low in the back. Stays and supported cups lifted her breasts like an offering, and all of it appeared smooth and seamless.

“No wonder your dress looked so sleek, pet. Look how stunning you are,” Loki said quietly and made his way toward her where he handed her a glass and offered his hand to assist her out of the pile her dress had made.

Pink coloured her cheeks, decadent and delicious pink. The pink he loved and wanted to worship. “Taste the wine, love,” he said instead and drank when she did. The spices melded on his tongue warmed his throat and heated his belly. When her lashes fluttered shut and she hummed appreciatively, he knew Lauren felt the same effect. “This is, again, very special wine. It is had only at weddings or binding ceremonies and is rather… potent.”

“I like it,” Lauren murmured, her dark eyes watching him as she sipped again. “It makes me feel warm and a little tingly.”

“It is meant to increase one’s desire,” Loki crooned.

“Really?” she smirked a wicked grin. “Not sure either of us needs that.”

“Why do you think most couples are not seen for so many days?” he teased, drawing her closer. “Fear not,” he murmured when her eyes grew round. “Though it tastes the same, it has not the same effect. Sadly.”

“Probably a good idea,” she giggled, letting her gaze wander with her hand. “Loki… you have too many clothes on.”

He vanished it all down to his tunic and breeks. “Better, _elskan min_?”

“Much,” she murmured, downing the last of her wine.

Loki chuckled at her eagerness but followed her lead, sending both glasses back to the table with a flick of his wrist after he’d drained his as well. A second flick lit the fire in the hearth and had golden light, warm and dancing, replacing the soft yellow-white of Asgard’s moons. 

He held out his hand, and she took it without hesitation prompting him to smile adoringly at her while he led her around the high back of the divan to sit with him. Drawing her close, he gently traced his fingers up her thigh to the cut of her silky undergarment. “And just what is this confection called, beloved?” he asked, following the curve around her hip when she curled toward him to sneak her fingers into the collars of his tunic.

“Mm, a teddy,” she murmured, her eyes dark yet glowing with his magic.

“It is… _quite_ enticing,” he purred, stroking his hand up her side, catching both satin fabric and soft skin with his palm. “On any other night I would be happy to peel you out of it, my heart, but I find tonight I am feeling… nostalgic for the traditions of home. Would you be averse to me… changing your nightwear?”

“Peaches,” she smiled softly and tugged on his tunic to draw him closer. “This is your night too. I want you to be happy.”

“You are too precious for words, darling.” He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and let his magic swell over and around them.

She moaned, and the sound was decadent, full of desire and pleasure with the way the wisps caressed her. His magic tied to his emotions and the love he had for her became apparent in how tenderly it touched her body.

When he lifted his head, it took a moment for Lauren to open her eyes. The green had clouded, her cheeks had pinked thoroughly, and she sighed softly, her mouth curling into a small smile. Only then did Loki let his gaze fall to take in the confection of lace and sheer fabric now adorning her beautiful body.

A wide band of intricately worked lace, patterned with serpents and lovers knots, held the gown off her shoulders, leaving the curve and graceful line of her neck bare. It dipped low, clinging to the swell of her breasts, a delicately wrought fabric appearing to be made of spider silk, so thin and soft and fragile and as beautiful as his Lauren. Beneath the lace, the gown fell away in panels of sheer silk, shimmering with gold as if the fabric had been dusted with sparkles.

Her body was a shadow beneath, revealed but hidden. A seductive temptation which made his mouth water. He’d vanished the bracers from her arms and the circlet from her brow, leaving her torque as the only added compliment to her stunning gown. Arms bare, she shifted toward him, and the gown parted to reveal her side, the entirety of one leg, and her shoe gleaming in thanks to the firelight.

“Oh, my darling,” he sighed, heart pounding and desire raging through his body. “You are... exquisite. Gowns similar to this,” he gently touched the lace beneath his heart stone, “are traditionally worn by a bride, especially a princess bride, on her wedding night. A gown meant to highlight and entice, tease and tempt, and drive your husband wild.”

Her fingers pet the bare skin she’d revealed between his collars. “And is it workin’, Loki?” she asked, her voice like honey, sweet and thick. Her eyes were slumberous and heavy-lidded, but her smile was that of a temptress. A goddess who knew just what power she wielded over him.

“I think you know it is, pet.” He gathered her closer, sliding his hands over the soft fabric, loving the feel of it beneath his palms. “You are utterly ravishing. I find I am almost wary of touching you for fear you will be a dream and disappear from my embrace. You are a gift. A dream come true. An unbelievable blessing-”

Her fingers landed on his lips. “Loki… you talk too much,” she murmured. Her fingers moved to his jaw and drew him closer. “Put that silver tongue to better use,” she crooned.

He grinned, wicked and wild, and snaked his hands into the openings to either side of her gown to grip her bottom and pull her up into his lap. Her knees landed on either side of his thighs, the front of her gown continuing to hide her from his eyes even as it became caught between them. There was very little to it in reality. A lace band to hold it to her shoulders. A gathered panel of silk which flowed to the floor in the front and another in the back the entirety of her garment. Her sides were bare, and if she were to stand and turn, her entire body would be both exposed and yet still teasingly covered.

“And how would you have me use it, pet?” he asked, sure his eyes were alight with magic and mischief.

“A kiss would be welcome.” Her hands were busy tugging his tunic apart, but her eyes never left his.

“A kiss? Only a kiss?” The velvet-like smoothness of her skin had him stroking his fingertips up her spine.

“A kiss to start. We’ll see where it leads from there, _elskan min_ ,” she murmured. Her hands walked the length of muscle she’d just bared, her nails dragging gently and catching his nipples with their edge.

Loki gasped and moaned, felt his face warm and his blood heat, and dragged her even closer. “Teasing minx. If a kiss is what you desire, a kiss you shall have.” Just not where she expected.

He smirked a little before pressing his lips to the skin left bare along her shoulder. He nipped his teeth into the flesh beneath her collarbone. Licked a sweep of warm, wet tongue over the creamy swell of her breast. A kiss was finally given to the skin above her swiftly beating heart, eliciting a moan which made him growl.

Catching the edge of her gown, Loki pulled it forward slowly, gradually baring her breast and pink, peaked nipple. The hard bud had been easy to see through the silk, her darker areola appearing like a blush behind the shimmering fabric. He breathed cool air on her and watched the skin pebble. “Are you up for another game, darling?”

“Loki,” she groaned and sank her hands in his hair.

“Is that a no, pet?” he chuckled softly.

“You know it isn’t,” she whimpered and tried to tug him closer.

“And will you follow my direction? Do whatever I tell you?”

She peered down at him, her eyes lightening a little, but desire raged heavy in them. “Where you lead, love, I’ll follow.”

His heart lurched. “It gives me such… you make me feel… the trust you show me, Lauren, I just…”

A smile broke on her lips, and she gently cupped his cheeks. “It’s okay, Loki. I know.”

“You are my very life,” he whispered, his heart too full for words.

“And you’re mine.” She placed a tender, sweet kiss on his lips. “I trust you, Loki. In everythin’.”

He felt like a giant with her confession, ten feet tall and able to take on the world. “Then we’ll play a game to… entice us both, my heart.”

Her beautiful blush appeared, and her eyes sparkled brightly. “Do with me what you will, _elskan min_.”

A rumble like thunder filled his chest. “Oh, I plan to, my sweet.” He bent, then, to take her breast into his mouth and lick and suck on her pretty nipple. Her gasp was music to his ears and sent a shockwave of pleasure streaking to his loins.

“Oh, my stars!” she whimpered and clutched at his hair.

Magic filled his mouth, ran cool over her skin, and he pulled away slowly, drawing on her flesh until it popped free from between his lips. The small clamp he’d left behind had a tiny bell which chimed softly where it dangled beneath her now hard and swollen bud.

He hummed softly, pleased with the addition, and swiftly bared her other breast to treat it in kind.

Her moan was anything but quiet as she tugged on his hair, her hips shifting restlessly. “Loki… please!” she whined.

A wicked chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Patience, darling.” He flicked the second bell with his tongue. “On your feet, pet.”

She blinked at him with her hazy eyes before shifting off his thighs to stand before him. “Loki?”

“Yes, love,” he crooned, stroking his hands over her hips, smoothing down the fabric when it swung to cover her again.

“If this is what is traditionally worn by the bride, what’s the groom wear?”

“For the wedding night?” he asked, smiling up at her. She nodded, and his grin widened. “Why nothing at all.”

“Cad,” she giggled.

More magic wicked around him and Loki changed his attire, leaving only his breeks where they had been. Chest and feet bare, he held her by the thighs. “This is more in keeping with how I would attend your bed.”

“Mm,” she hummed, eyes hot, “I like it.”

He chuckled as he brushed her gown to the side to nuzzle his nose against the neat patch of curls between her thighs. “Spread your legs, my love.”

She did so without hesitation.

“So eager. Such a pretty, pet.” He licked his lips and drew her closer to slide his tongue over the glistening lips of her sex. The taste of tart wines filled his mouth with the first touch. He rumbled out a moan and sucked her sweet bundle of nerves between his lips.

Gentle pulls and soft suckles had her mewling and crying out in delight, her nails skating over his scalp. He lapped slowly at her lips, licking magic over her core, setting his spell for his forthcoming game.

“Oh, fuck, peaches!” Lauren cried, her legs beginning to shake.

When he pulled away, it was to her cry of denial. “It is time for our game, darling,” he chuckled, wiping his mouth.

“What game?” she panted, causing the bells on her breasts to chime with each inhale and exhale.

Loki sat back and smiled, his legs spread to take the pressure off the bulge between his thighs. “Dance for me.”

“Beg pardon?” she muttered, her brows rising toward her hairline in disbelief.

“ _Elskan min_ ,” he crooned, waving his hand to have heady, blood warming music fill the room. “By my high priestess. Dance for me.”


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Smut, smut, smut. NSFW 18, Fluff. Swearing

 

* * *

Lauren blinked at Loki while the music swelled and pounded in her blood. She’d never heard anything like it before and knew it was the music of Asgard. Heady, a little dark, and so sensual, it felt as if it had weight to it. As if the notes of drums and woodwinds could actually caress her skin. The stringed instruments strummed her nerves, plucked her synapses, and made her moan.

“Loki,” she sighed and brought her hands to her stomach when heat washed through it. “What… how?”

“This is my game, pet.” He smiled, and it was wicked. Deviant. Full of desire. His eyes had turned entirely green, alive with the magic humming through the air. The caress of his elegant hands down the outer edge of her thighs lit small fires beneath her skin.

The lightest brush of her gown over her flesh felt like the most delicious, seductive torture. “What did you do, peaches?”

“I set the spell, darling. This, this is what the wine would feel like had you consumed the real thing. Does it burn? Do you ache? Are you set aflame, my heart?”

“Yes,” she moaned, running her palms over her belly and breathing out a shaking breath. “But why… dance?”

“You are so exquisite, my love. You are grace personified in your yoga, and tonight as I led you around the dance floor I was amazed by you all over again. The sensual nature of your movements… I desire to see them enhanced, laid bare just for me. Become my high priestess. Dance for me. Entice me. _Seduce me.”_

There was no denying the look in his eyes. The anticipation. The smouldering desire.

She smiled and touched his cheek, traced her knuckles over the sharp ridge of bone and tilted his chin up. “As you wish, my God of Mischief.” Such excitement lit his eyes with her agreement Lauren almost laughed, but it fell away into a moan when the music pulsed through her veins.

She stepped back, away from his hands, watching him watch her without looking away. He shifted, leaned against the back of the divan and spread his knees further apart when she paused between him and the fire.

Lauren turned to face the flames, well aware of what the firelight would do to her gown, and let her hands ascend into the air over her head. While one hand twisted slowly, the other caressed its way down her arm when she began to sway to the music. She followed the beat of the drum, let it take her away, let the fire warm her from the outside as Loki’s magic warmed her from within.

Like before when he’d played his game and had her coming apart on the dance floor, she could tell he’d done something similar again. There was no heavy fullness, no weights coming together between her walls, but every swing of hip or shift of foot had pleasure streaking through her.

She kept her movements small, enticing. Tiny circles of her hips as she caught hold of the front of her gown. She played with it as she moved, drawing it up with each circle of hips, sliding her hands over her stomach and turned slowly around.

The firelight played through the opening of her gown, silhouetting her body, highlighting the curve of her spine when she arched it, thankful for the shoes she’d yet to remove knowing they would lift her ass and lengthen her legs. She raised her hands to cup her breasts, setting the bells ringing and her womb aching when the sound seemed to sing right to her nerve endings. Lauren moaned at the sensation and let her head fall back, sending her hair swinging in a sensual caress down her back.

A glance toward Loki showed her god was not unaffected. He rested an elbow on the arm of the divan and used his hand to cover his mouth. His eyes had grown dark and sexy. His free hand lay over his lap, but every so often it flexed as if he desired to touch himself so badly he could hardly contain the action.

Lust warmed her, heated her blood, and Lauren turned fully toward him. Watching him. Needing him. Aching for him.

“Loki,” whispered from her lips when she held her hands out and beckoned him toward her with a teasing smile.

The glow in his eyes grew, darkened further, flared, and Lauren gasped, startling when hands appeared to grasp her waist. She darted a glance behind her but found no one and nothing but air. Yet, still, she could feel the phantom hands, the phantom body pressing against her spine. Moving with her. Touching her. Guiding her to grind and swing and slide her body down the front of her invisible partner.

Unable to look away from Loki, she felt the flush grow on her cheeks; the air as it puffed over her lower lip with her aroused pants. The soft silk caught and skimmed over the hard buds of her nipples, kept firm and taut with the tight clamps. She felt sexy and desired as she spread her knees wide, crouched low, and let the dress pool beneath her.

He shifted, uncomfortable, and made her smile, knowing the view she was giving him was nothing more than a rude tease.

Hands on her knees, Lauren drew them slowly up her thighs, twisting slightly as she went, denying him further view of the silhouette of her body when she thrust her ass back into the phantom lover behind her.

Bent at the waist, she straightened her legs first, drawing her hands up her thighs beneath the sheer fabric. The slow action pulled a growl, soft and barely discernible from the god upon his throne, and she continued upward, skimming her hands over the curve of her hips. She turned enough to let him watch when she took her palms over her ass, grinding back into the invisible body he’d created for her.

She bit her lip, held it between her teeth. Fought back the desire filled moan which wanted to break free when fingers crawled over her breasts. With each pull of breath, the bells rang, thudding in her womb, driving her crazy with how aroused she was. But she never slowed her hips, keeping the steady rhythm of circle and thrust, grind and roll going, allowing flashes of skin to appear when she raised her arm to wrap it around the neck of her invisible partner.

She felt glorious and strong seducing a god. Her god. Felt powerful for being able to hold his burning gaze with her body. He was a fantasy. The lover she’d always dreamed of, and his hungry eyes bespoke the promise of pleasure unimaginable if she continued to drive him wild.

Her head fell back, eyes closed, the moan finally flying free when hands pressed against her belly and drifted down to stroke and caress her hips, her thighs, and drag feather light across her mound. She was on fire, skin burning, thighs wet with how much she needed him. Need him right now.

“Lauren,” rumbled from his makeshift throne.

Heavy-lidded, she forced her eyes open and looked at him. At some point, he’d lost the battle with the desire to touch himself for his pants now gaped open, and his hand lazily stroked the hard length of his gorgeous cock.

She released her phantom lover, felt his hands fall away, and stepped slowly out of her shoes to pace toward Loki. Arriving at his feet, Lauren sank gracefully to her knees to place her palms on legs. “Did this dancer please you, my God of Mischief?”

“I think you know you did, my priestess. My most cherished love.” He brought his fingers to her jaw, grazing it softly on the way to her chin.

The brush of his thumb over her lip sent a shiver down Lauren’s spine. “When you look at me like that, I feel like a bunny who’s caught the eye of a wolf.”

“And how am I looking at you, sweet?” he crooned softly, touching her face with the pads of his fingers. Gentle strokes to her jawline. Her lips. Her cheekbone.

“Like you wanna devour me, Loki,” she whispered. His eyes sent butterflies winging in her stomach.

A smile curled his lips, sensual and devious. “Oh, darling. I do want to devour you…”

The pulse of pleasure through her veins with his words made her whimper. He lifted her by the elbows to her feet and urged her over his lap.

Lauren pulled her gown to the side as she settled on his thighs, letting the soft fabric fall to the divan. The heat of him had her eyes closing on a quiet moan. “Loki…”

“Does your body ache, beloved? Do you need me to assuage your desire?”

Amusement filled his voice even as he rained kisses across her collarbone. Tender touches saw small fires igniting along her spine when he trailed his fingers up to her nape and tugged the back of her torque. The tails of the serpents moved against her skin, eliciting a surprised gasp from Lauren when the torque began to slide down her chest only to be caught in Loki’s hand.

“I’ll return it to your neck come morning, but for now,” he pressed a kiss to the hollow of her throat and made the torque vanish, “I want nothing impeding my access to your skin.”

Lauren smiled and reached across her body for the shoulder of her gown to slowly pulled it up over her head. Once the lace band cleared her hair, she dropped the garment to the seat at his side and shuddered with how it brushed her body. “Then I guess we’d best be gettin’ rid of this.” His hum of appreciation sent a blush skating over her chest and up her throat to fill her face. “Don’t make me wait, peaches.”

Gentle hands dragged her closer until his hard length was snuggled up against her wet center. “We have all night, _elskan min_ ,” he whispered and kissed her pulse. “Have patience.”

She didn’t care about all night. She cared about now. About the need singing under her skin. About the heat radiating between them. About the touch of his hands and the press of his cock. The dance and his magic had her so worked up, she knew it would take very little to see her flying apart, and she wrapped her hands behind his neck.

“Please, _elskan min_ ,” she begged, threading her hands through his hair and bringing her forehead to his. “I need you. I ache and burn, Loki. Valhalla is callin’.” She whispered her lips over his cheek and undulated her hips, moaning quietly when the glide of her wet core over his hard cock had stars bursting behind her eyelids.

“Sweet… darling,” he sighed and took his hands over her back. The touch was gentle, so soft and reverent. It matched well the brush of his lips on her throat, the open-mouthed kisses. Barely there, they were a skate of lips, a tease of tongue. “If Valhalla is calling, who am I to deny you entry?” he whispered, laving his tongue over her collarbone with slightly more pressure. “Seek it, my heart. Take what you need. See the edge muted for I plan to spend much of the night listening to your soft cries and sultry moans.”

His hands returned to her waist. Big and strong, they nearly spanned it. The elegant, tapered fingers splayed over her lower back and felt as the fire had; warm with a bite of heat which would burn her if she held out too long. His thumbs worked small circles on her hip bones, but it was his eyes she couldn’t get enough of.

Beautiful, a vibrant dark green, she’d never seen them so expressive. His face, always so guarded, had become open and easy to read. The love he had for her was written in the wide gaze, the deep colour, the wild snap and crackle of his magic flaring with his emotions. He looked at her with such regard, as if nothing within the nine realms held more importance to him than her.

It made her quake to know she held this powerful being in the palm of her hand. That his heart was hers to do with as she wished. That he would always be the one man, the one god, she could trust in all things. He had become such a part of her life in such a short time, it filled her with wonder far beyond her understanding.

The desperate need muted and she paused in her seduction to peer down at him.

“Lauren?” 

He looked terribly confused. It made her smile.

With gentle hands she cupped his face, lightly tucking his hair back before holding him between her palms. “As I have given you your life, you have given me mine. You have brought joy and love and laughter into my world with your mischievous ways. I promise to hold your heart with care and to never take your sacrifices for granted. To be honest in all things. To stand with you in times of peace or times of trouble. I will never call you a monster because to me you will always be my hero. You are my heart, my soul, and my very existence. No matter what the future holds, no matter where we go from here, I will be at your side… forever.”

Blue burned through the green, and the music ended abruptly, shock replacing the magic he’d been wielding. “ _Elskan min_ ,” he exhaled the words, “were those… your vows?”

“Straight from the heart, Loki.” His eyes glistened with unshed tears, and Lauren caressed his face. “You’re my everythin’, peaches. Come what may, you’ll always have me in your corner.”

“Lauren… you slay me,” he whispered, tucking his face into her neck.

A single kiss was placed on her pulse before another followed, and another, until he’d peppered kisses all along her throat and jaw. He nipped her chin, kissed it, caught her lip and gave it a small tug.

“You really have bewitched me. I find myself caught in your spell, desiring you more and more with each passing moment.” He rocked her hips forward, sliding her up the slick rod nestled between her legs. “You must take what you need, beloved, so I may then give you what I need.”

“Loki,” Lauren sighed, rising over him, following the urging of his hands. Hers slipped from their place on his face to land shakily on his chest. The surge and drag of his ridge over her swollen bundle of nerves had spikes of pleasure shooting up her spine. They washed out like the fireworks from earlier, Roman Candles rocketing up to explode and burst outward before fading toward the ground.

Only her pleasure never faded. The trickle-down effect seemed like a wildfire. Fireworks would go off, then catch the ground ablaze, buzzing beneath her flesh like burning embers. She rose up and sank down, driving herself wild with the friction. “Oh, Loki,” she moaned.

His lips and mouth and teeth continued to trace patterns on her body, creating even more streaks of sensation, sending it singing from her neck to her loins. “There you are, darling. There you are. You are so warm and wet, my heart.” He released her hip to cup and squeeze the back of her neck when he leaned away to watch her ride.

This left the bells, and her breasts free to swing and bounce with her movements and Lauren whimpered, the feeling intensifying what already swam in her blood. Her body burned. Her thighs ached. A fist of need held her hostage until she leaned further back, rested her hands on Loki’s thighs, and ground down.

He growled again, hand returning to her hip to created greater friction when he pulled her closer, dragged her swollen nub the length of his shaft and made her scream.

Lauren shook with the intensity. Quaked and moaned. Her body closed on nothing, spasming hard, sending pleasure bordering on pain searing through her limbs. “Loki!” fell from her lips, a prayer to her god whose mouth pressed to the sleek, toned skin of her torso.

“My sweet, darling Lauren… how beautiful you are when you fall apart like that. I cannot wait to have you falling apart around me,” he murmured, letting his lips whisper over her skin as he spoke.

A quiet, near purr, rumbled from her throat when his mouth began a slow trek up her body. His hands pressed against her shoulder blades to draw her toward him. He kissed her sternum, licked at the inner curve of her breast, breathed a wave of cold air over her nipple and made her shake. The chiming of the bells had her giving a giddy giggle, and Loki chuckled.

His gaze lifted, eyes of blue sparkling with green when he grinned wickedly at her. His lips closed over the small bell, gave it a tug, making her whimper at the sharp bolt of pleasure. He took her breast in his mouth, tongue sweeping, mouth sucking, hands shifting up and down her spine.

Lauren gasped and clutched at his hair, holding him to her while the pressure of the little clamp lifted and the small pain set her mewling. He pet her skin as if she were the kitten she sounded like, soothing her with the tender touch and cooling lick of his tongue before taking wet lips and seeking, licking tongue across her chest to repeat his actions with her other breast.

Each gentle pull and suck set her womb clenching, the sharp ache beginning to build a second time. When he finally finished, Lauren could feel the sweat trickle down her spine and bead at the hollow of her throat. “Loki… please,” she whispered, caressing his jaw, tilting his face up so she could kiss him and nip at his lip with frantic little pulls. “Take me to bed.”

He stood with her so quickly her head spun, but his arms were strong, unyielding, keeping her safe in his embrace. Still, she squeezed her knees to his hips when he began to walk with her, sending the hard length of his shaft stroking through her folds. Lauren couldn’t help but cry out in delight and approval when magic flared, and nothing remained between them but flesh.

“So sensitive, my heart. I look forward to touching you… everywhere.”

She continued to caress his face, heart pounding, body humming as he walked across the room to kneel up on their bed and lay her in the center of it. He settled at her side, his hand tracing lightly down the valley between her breasts. His eyes were soft, a relaxed smile on his face while he touched her with only his fingertips.

The urgency of her desire waned beneath his slow caress. The need became thick and sultry like the air in the room, heady with the fragrance of their bower. She looked up to find the flowers draped above, the petals in white and pale blue. They smelled sweet and fresh, like earth and roses after the rain. They were drugging, and she arched into Loki’s delicate touch when his hand cupped her breast.

“You’re so lovely,” he whispered, grazing his lips over her cheek to take her mouth and claim it as his own. He kissed her, and it was everything, lips clinging with each parting. He worried her lip between his teeth while his thumb drew slow circles over her aching breast. The tender touch of his tongue coaxed hers to twine and twist and dance.

Lauren ran her fingers through his hair and down his back. His muscle bunched beneath her palms, sleek and strong like a jungle cat. Deceptively strong. When he chose to move her, he did so with such little effort. She loved that about him.

His hand cupped the back of her neck, lifting her head from the pillows. He kissed her with unending patience, ran his hand down her body to her thigh, and skimmed his fingers back up. A single fingertip followed the line of her torso, down to traced light circles around her serpents before dipping to comb slowly through the curls at the apex of her thighs.

Quiet sighs slipped from Lauren with each new and gentle touch. She felt worshiped, desired, and so special beneath his focused attention. “ _Elskan min_ ,” she crooned on a wave of sensation, spreading her legs for him.

He lifted his head and smiled down at her. “What a precious pet you are. You say that so prettily, my love.” His mouth fell to work the length of her throat with tender scrapes of teeth and slick, teasing tongue. “I am going to taste every inch of your skin.”

His fingers wrapped around her wrist and Lauren stared wide-eyed when he brought her hand to his mouth to suck on her fingers one by one. A kiss was placed on her palm before he licked the center, shaking her to her very core.

“Loki,” she whispered.

“Pet?” He bit the fleshy base of her thumb and kissed each knuckle. A smile played upon his lips. His eyes were sultry and hot. He kissed her wrist and scraped his teeth gently down her forearm to lick the crease of her elbow.

“I love you,” she sighed and let her eyes flutter closed on a wave of bliss.

“Oh, my darling,” he whispered against her lips. “I know.”

She smiled and felt him shift over her, but Lauren didn’t bother to open her eyes. The sensations he invoked were so potent, so powerful, all she wanted to do was wallow in them like a cat basking in a sunbeam.

His lips and tongue found their way to her shoulder, his hands to her waist when his knees settled between her thighs. She could feel him, thick and hard and heavy, laying on her hip when he lowered down to bring his mouth to her chest, but when his tongue returned to her skin, she cried out in surprise.

“Something wrong, love?” he chuckled.

“Damn frost giant,” she muttered, clutching at his arms when the icy lick came a second time.

“Relax. You will enjoy it if you give it a chance.”

She cracked open an eyelid to give him a disbelieving look, but he only smirked and licked her nipple. It pebbled swiftly, drawing up tight with the chill, and left Lauren breathless.

“Loki,” she moaned and pressed her head back into the pillows.

“See… small games and great pleasure,” he murmured before proceeding. He licked and lapped and sucked the tight peak between his lips where, somehow, his mouth remained hot even as his tongue stayed cold.

“Oh my…” she wheezed, finding it hard to breathe when he sucked and licked her skin. Her belly clench, muscles spasming, ready for more than the teasing he’d been giving her. “Loki, please…”

“Please what, darling?” he asked as he kissed a path down her body, flicking licks of alternating temperatures over her flesh.

“I need you,” she panted, trying to draw him up.

“I know.” He smiled, eyes bright and grin wide. “But I only get one chance to make love to my wife, my _Ástvinur_ , my very heart for the first time, and I shall make it memorable.”

“It already is!” she cried when he moved lower.

“Not enough.” Loki drew his nose over her hip and kissed her thigh gently. “I will decide when it is enough.” His breath teased her, and Lauren moaned when his thumbs pulled her open. “You are so wet, darling. Allow me to assist with that,” he sighed and dragged his tongue up her core.

Lauren swore softly and pressed her fist to her mouth. Magic wrapped around her wrists, and both hands shot up above her head, eliciting a shocked gasp from her lips.

“Now, now, pet. There is no need to muffle your cries of pleasure. In fact… I would hear them in full.” Dark eyes watched her from beneath lowered brows as he brought his mouth to her core and closed it firmly over her. He licked and sucked and kissed her there, pulling cry after delirious cry from her as Lauren arched up, rocked into the lashing tongue, jerking and shuddering when it went from hot like his mouth to ice cold.

He pressed circles against her clit with the cold appendage, dragging her ever closer to the cliff’s edge. She felt a bird, soaring on air currents of ecstasy, reaching for new heights, steeper climbs, and deeper drops. He was taking her higher than ever, showing her more, giving her more, and Lauren sobbed for breath as she writhed against the bed and the bonds he’d tied her with.

“You are so close, my love. Do you know I can feel it? Even without my torque around your throat, I can feel the way your body aches and yearns for that final push into oblivion,” he murmured. “Should I grant it, my sweet? Send you riding to Valhalla with the skill of my tongue?”

She opened eyes gone blind to all but the man running his fingers up and down her body. “Loki…”

“Lauren,” he smiled.

“Please stop teasin’, peaches,” she begged softly, wanting nothing more than to break the tension locked like a fist around her womb.

His eyes softened, and so did his smile. “My precious love,” he sighed and delved his head back down to lick slowly at her lips, catching her hard bud with each pass, working her up slowly and methodically, making the pleasure skate through her veins like honey, thick and sweet.

“Oh, god, Loki!” It was a pleasure bordering on pain. Intense was not the word to describe it. It was life-changing, body breaking, a heart-stopping joy that took her so high, she wondered if she could touch the stars.

Then it crested like a wave, taking her away on a sea of bliss. It sent her sailing. Soaring. Screaming herself hoarse when finally, blessedly, he pushed her over the edge, and she came against his mouth.

She gave a hard sob and shook, delirious with the pleasure. Her heart pounded. Her soul sang. And she dived into an ocean of ecstasy unlike anything he’d ever shown her before.

When her senses returned, it was to find him resting on her belly as she gasped for air. Her hands were free, and she brought them down to either side of her head. “Loki… that was…” She was at a loss for words.

“It was meant to be.” He pressed a kiss to her hip. “Until now, I have loved you as a man. Treated you as someone who is only a man would, but tonight… tonight I take you as my Ástvinur. The wife of this Dark God. Tonight I love you as only a god can.”

He pressed up on his hands to crawl the length of her body, stopping at regular intervals to place open-mouthed kisses on her skin. “You are radiant in your ecstasy, my sweet. A true Goddess among women. I will never tire of seeing you come apart for me, but I desire to know how it feels. To sink into the depths of your wet heat. To bury myself to the hilt and seek Valhalla in your arms.”

“You’re goin’ to kill us both,” she moaned, reaching for him.

***

“Then we will die happy,” he laughed, loving the look on her face. Soft. Sexy. Replete.

Her skin was flushed, glistening in the shifting firelight. The rosy blush he adored had become a seemingly permanent addition to her cheeks. Her dark eyes gleamed with her love. She had become a goddess, glowing beneath the petals of the _Gledeblomstring_. Her inner light spilled out, giving her skin a pale luminescence.

It stunned him for he had never imagined the glorious creature she could or would become as his _Ástvinur_. She grew lovelier with each passing hour. Her dance had so thoroughly aroused and distracted him, he’d found his hand wrapped around his cock with little idea of when or how it had happened.

She would be a force on Asgard.

People would flock to her. The bards would write epics. He would be immortalized in their history because she would blazon her way through the hearts of all who met her. He would never be able to leave her side for the young bucks and idiots of the court would fall at her feet like fools.

He was going to need to sharpen his knives.

Her hand landed lightly on his cheek. “Where did you go?” she asked with a gentle smile. “There was such a scowl on your face for a minute there.”

“Nowhere important,” he murmured, settling his body over hers. He didn’t fear for crushing her, and for once, found he didn’t envy Thor his bulk.

The heat of her skin felt wonderful pressed against him. She was just so soft. Her hands caressed the length of his spine with such tenderness. More than he’d ever expected. More than he deserved.

“Then maybe you should come back to me,” she teased gently and patted his backside.

“I will always come back to you,” he promised, threading his hand through her hair to fan it out over her pillow. “No matter what, I will always return to you. I would find you wherever you happened to be. There is nowhere in the nine realms you could go I would not follow.”

“Loki,” she sighed, her eyes shining with emotions so deep, he could feel them clutch in his own heart.

“You are mine,” he whispered, kissing her with gentle reverence, his heart so full, it felt as if it could hardly beat, and when it did, it beat only for her. She could command it stop and it would. It was hers to do with as she wished. “You hold my heart, beloved.”

“And you hold mine.” She lifted up to kiss him, take his lip between her teeth and pull as her knee slipped over his hip. “Please, Loki. Make love to me.”

“Yes,” he sighed, lifting his body just enough to align their centers. “I’ve waited so long…” Not just the days they’d been together, but the centuries of time he’d waited for her.

He turned his face into her throat, kissing the enticing edge of her jaw which had drawn his attention so long ago. He pressed forward and, hot and slick, she opened like a flower before him, petals parting to grant him access to the heaven he’d been seeking.

Neither could hold back their moans when Loki paused barely past her entrance. “Darling… breathe. You must relax.” She was so incredibly tight he was at a loss as to how not to hurt her if she didn’t.

“Holy fuck… you’re… big,” she groaned, shaking beneath him.

He couldn’t stifle the chuckle her words caused and pressed his forehead to hers. “I would thank you, pet, but at the moment size seems to be an issue.” Cupping her cheek, he kissed her deeply and sent his magic wicking out to touch her, everywhere.

Her gasping cry of delight filled his mouth, and he moaned it back to her, filling her full of his power, letting it sink into the very marrow of her bones. Her body loosened beneath the onslaught of sensation, allowing him to fall deeper, stretch her open. It was, indeed, as if she were untired with how unbelievably tight she remained and Loki felt the strain in all his muscles as he held himself back.

A fist closed in his hair, held him tightly to her as they panted together, breath mingling, neither able to find the words to speak with the sensations screaming through their bodies.

He, at least, new he wasn’t hurting her. There was a burn, but she wasn’t in pain. “Breathe for me, beloved. We are nearly there.” Loki rocked gently and sank deeper, thanking the Norns she was so wet for it made his entrance a little bit easier.

Using his magic, he stroked her thighs, her breasts, her sides. Slipped it between them to tease over her bundle of nerves, an admittedly bad decision when it caused her walls to spasm and clamp tightly around him.

A sharp bark of, “ _Fuck_!” burst from him in reaction. An amused snort came from her, and he finally slipped the last few inches into her welcoming body to fall into the cradle of her thighs.

“Oh my,” she moaned, digging her nails into his back.

“It is you who is going to kill us both, woman!” he growled, unable to think much past the bliss of being buried in her body.

“If y’all weren’t so damn big,” she moaned, shifting beneath him.

“Size is not something to complain about, _elskan min_ ,” he crooned and nipped her lip between his teeth to suck it into his mouth before releasing it slowly.

“Maybe I wouldn’t complain if you’d move!” she whined and flexed her nails into his shoulder encouragingly.

“Patience,” he teased, bringing his mouth back to her throat and laying soft kisses down the long length. “You are so warm, pet. I want to relish the feeling of finally being joined with you.”

“Loki!” she huffed and gave his hair a tug.

He laughed as he lifted up and captured her hands. Linking their fingers together, he drew her hands up to press them into the pillows. “Alright, alright, my love.” He pressed a sweet kiss to the corner of her mouth and took a steadying breath.

It wasn’t so much to tease her that had him pausing, but to keep him from losing himself to the tightness and heat, the unbelievable rightness of her body, which would, if he allowed it, strip him of centuries worth of control and see him floundering like an untried youth.

Like a coiled spring, he pulled slowly back, groaning at the slick drag and clench of her sensitive walls. It shook him to his very soul; the feeling of her around him for what would be the first of many such joinings.

“Oh… oh, my…” Lauren moaned and pressed her head back into the pillows, arching back and stretching her neck.

Loki couldn’t help but bring his mouth to her throat, slide his lips along her skin, and press them to her jaw. He thrust slowly forward, not stopping until he bottomed out and made her shudder. The pleasure was greater than he’d ever imagined it would be. Her body was a gift and a wonder, and he found himself falling into it. It wasn’t enough to hold her hands, he needed to hold her and released one to slide his arm beneath her and wrap his hand around her nape.

Her hand went around his back to press grasping fingers into his shoulder. “Loki, Loki, please!” she gasped.

“Easy, darling. I have you.” He kissed her cheek and chose a rhythm. A slow rhythm. One that saw him sliding through her walls so she felt each long inch, each thick vein, and ridge of his cock. It was an exquisite torture which had sweat breaking out on his body, but her response was, by far, worth every ounce of control he had to drag to the surface to keep from losing himself in her.

She gasped and moaned, arched and scratched at his skin. The high flush on her face complemented the glazed look which filled her eyes. Glassy with pleasure, they appeared unfocused, blind to all but the sensations his body was producing in hers.

Small breaths washed over his lips with each sharp exhale, and Loki was unable to look away from the bliss which filled her face. He released her other hand to grasp her hip, hold her to him a little tighter, drive a little deeper. She cried out, and her eyelids fluttered, nearly closing, but he gently squeezed her nape. “No, keep your eyes on me, my love. Let me see the ecstasy in them. I want to hear your precious scream when your pleasure peaks.”

“Loki!”

She cried his name, and it was everything he could have ever dreamed. Her nails raked down his back, her kitten claws digging deep, but he didn’t care. She could draw his blood, add to his scars, and he would bear every one with pride for they were received giving the greatest of pleasure to his _Ástvinur_.

“That’s it, beloved,” he crooned to her, her gaze locked on his, her green eyes swimming with lust. “You are mine as I am yours. Give yourself over to it. Take the pleasure. Make it yours. Come for me, my darling,” he coaxed and kissed her parted panting lips.

A moan that was more mewl preceded a stuttered cry of joy when the slow thrusting of his hips increased in speed. She clawed at him a second time, her head thrashing on her pillow. Her hair had curled around her face with the heat and sweat while their bodies glided together in the timeless dance they’d fallen into.

“You are so close, my heart,” Loki murmured, his breathing beginning to rush in time with hers as he felt the pleasure pool in his abdomen. “I can feel you reaching for your climax. The way you flutter around me. The way you ache and moan. Let yourself go, sweet, beautiful goddess of my heart, and know that I will catch you. Trust me,” he whispered, holding her to him, clinging as he loved her, showed her everything he felt as he thrust into her glorious body.

“Loki,” she whimpered, sinking her fingers into his hair. She arched back, her eyes closing when he shifted just enough to see his shaft dragged over her sensitive nerve endings, catching both the spot within and the one without in a continuous cycle of pleasure.

“Look at me.” He brought the hand from her hip to cup her face and waited for her eyes to focus once again on his. “I love you, my Lauren. I love you… my wife.”

Her cry was one of wonder and delight when with his words she reached the highest of heights and began to tumble, spiral through waves of bliss as her sheath gripped him in a vice.

“By the Norns,” he moaned, bucking into her with the first tight clench, desperate to stave off his own rising orgasm but helpless to resist the coaxing of his woman’s perfect body. Unable to hold it back, he gave into his own body’s demands and increased his speed, thrusting harder, taking more, needing to hear more when her soft moan became loud cries of delight and another round of scratching nails.

A snarl ripped from his throat, and he buried his face in her neck, overcome with lust and the need to make her scream even as his body screamed at him. This was no longer the slow, thorough lovemaking he’d promised himself he’d deliver but a taking. He would claim her as his, prove it when she screamed for him and cement himself in her memory as the only lover worth mentioning.

Her hands fell from his skin when he reared up to grasp her by the hips and lift her bottom from the bed. She arched, her back becoming a graceful bridge, her shoulders pressing into the mattress, and Loki growled at the sight. Oh, the fun they would have with how wonderfully flexible she was, but for now, he focused only on the picture of her graceful body sheened with sweat and gleaming.

A soft hiss escaped him while he held her there and plunged into her still clenching core. “You drive me mad with you sensual innocence,” he admitted, only to nearly lose his grip when she surprised the hell out of him and reared up to end up seated astride his thighs.

Her arms went around his neck, the light of mischief dancing in her eyes when she began to ride him with quick rolls of her hips. “Not so innocent, peaches. Promise.”

“Freyja’s tits, woman!” he bellowed but shifted his hands to her ass to help guide her down his cock. It had gone from rock hard to steel with her talented little show, a show which had set her pelvic muscles squeezing the breath right out of him. “The things I plan to do to you, pet,” he growled.

She smiled, and it was wicked. “I’m always up for a game, _elskan min_.”

Her words shot straight to his loins, and he knew, right that instant, she was made to be the death of him.

He gave a particularly vigorous thrust of his hips, smirking when it rolled her eyes back. “I am going to put you and that bendy spine of yours through so many, many positions.”

“Oh, god, Loki!” she cried, but it wasn’t enough.

He wanted to make her scream and began to drop her down his shaft as he thrust up, forcing a gasp from her with the sharp pleasure. “I want to hear you scream, my heart. Scream my name as you shatter, come apart in my arms and milk me of my seed. Come for me now. _Do it, Lauren_!” he commanded, dragging her hips down hard and fast, causing the sound of flesh meeting flesh to rise around them.

He was seconds away from losing the battle he was waging with his body. On the one hand, he knew what happened next would, likely, be the most intense release of his entire existence, but on the other, he was despondent at having to leave the heat and wet, the tight walls and welcoming arms of his woman. But then, he would only just begin again and smiled at the idea of starting all over.

Her eyes went wide, then blind. Every muscle in her body went rigid, and she threw her head back as the scream he was desperate for finally filled the air.

He took her back to the bed, falling with her, driving deep to pin her hips down when his rhythm failed, and he had to force his way through the rapid and tight flexing of her walls to finally, blessedly, pour his seed out at the mouth of her womb. A roar left his lips with the shockwaves quaking down his spine, and his cock jumped and pulsed with each jet of release.

Heat washed out, seared through him. Pleasure the likes of which he’d never known saw the edges of his vision going dark and every muscle in his body seemed to tense and sing when he let himself fall to the ecstasy of his sweet Lauren.

His ability to move, think, or even breathe much beyond short, sharp gasps had vanished entirely, lost to the pleasure of the woman beneath him as he remained buried as deep within her as he could. Her own release continued in the faint pulse rippling through her core, and he wallowed in it, knowing he’d pleased her with how incredibly limp she was and how the happiness of her radiated right from her soul.

“Loki,” she sighed and gently stroked his back.

She smiled, and he could feel it against his skin. “My heart?”

“That was…” She seemed to flounder.

It made him chuckle. “Yes, dear?”

Lauren gave his hair a tug, and he lifted his head enough to see her face. There were tears of joy in her eyes to match her soft smile. “I’ve never experienced anythin’ like that… ever. Thank you.” She pressed a kiss to his mouth, drawing him down to her.

Between slow kisses, Loki smirked and murmured, “Do not thank me yet, my sweet. There are hours left to this night and we have only just begun.” It was a promise given in a dark voice which had her shivering in anticipation.

“Like I said, peaches.” She reached up to caress his cheek and trace his lips. “I’m always willin’ to play one of your games.”

The chuckle that rolled through the room was full of mischief. “Oh, darling. Is it any wonder I love you?” His teeth fell to her throat with a hearty growl. She laughed before her voice rose on a sultry moan when he showed her the difference between a god’s stamina and a mortal’s when he began again and loved her long into the night.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing, threats of bloodshed and maiming, smut, NSFW

* * *

Loki didn’t sleep. He didn’t really need to, not after the past few days, and with his body relaxed, replete, and satiated after the last hours, he was content to merely lay at Lauren’s side and watch her dream. She was his dream, after all. What need did he have to close his eyes when all he’d ever wished for slept peacefully beside him.

Propped on his elbow, he gently brushed the hair from her face. She slept on her belly with the sheet wrapped only at her waist. Her hair was a waterfall of blonde silk down her spine and over her shoulder. A few tendrils had fallen on her cheek, and it was those he tucked away. She hugged her pillow, and he admired the sleek curve of her muscles.

She was, perhaps, the most elegantly refined woman he’d ever met, but he may also be biased. She was his _Ástvinur_ after all. His eyes had become blind to all others, but her the moment she’d taken the _brúðr steinn_.

He had worn her out quite spectacularly. Twice more he’d emptied himself out in the gloriousness that was her body, though he’d lost count of how many times she’d come around him. Around him, on his fingers, against his mouth, because of his magic. He’d shown her what being the lover of a god would be like, taking her in a dozen different positions, against walls, floors, on the throne before the fireplace.

It had been _magnificent_! Even now his body stirred with the memory of bending her over the back of the divan and taking her with vigour while she’d sobbed and cried and screamed his name. Thank the fates he’d been smart enough to soundproof the walls.

Both in their room and Thor’s.

A smirk curled his lips as he drew his fingertips lightly over Lauren’s shoulder. Between their second round and their third, he’d become aware of the people moving through the house.

Marabeth had returned, slamming doors and storming to her room where she’d locked herself in and not left since, but it was Natasha who had left her suite quietly and gone to Thor’s door which had drawn his amusement. Yes, Loki had soundproofed the walls, but he knew Natasha well enough to know she would not be knocking on his brother’s door, an assumption which proved correct when she’d slipped silently inside, and the door had locked behind her.

He’d stopped paying attention afterward, having no desire to bear witness to his brother’s prowess. Especially as he was invested in proving his own.

As far as he was aware, Natasha had still not left Thor’s suite.

The children had stirred once not long ago. It seemed young Benny was thirsty and had gotten up for a drink before crawling back in bed with his sister. Usun had watched over him, the pup awake and aware, settling only once Benny was back to sleep.

The choice to bring in a _dyrehund_ had been brilliant, at least in his mind. With the way Marabeth was prowling her suite like a caged animal, Loki wasn't sure she wouldn't go after her children. Her madness was so heavily mixed with anger it was all-consuming, and that worried him more than just her madness. At this stage, her ability to reason would be compromised, and he wouldn’t put it past her to do something irrational in her state.

For the moment though, Marabeth hadn't left her room, and he pushed it aside to focus on the woman in his bed. His ethereal beauty.  His Lauren.

He wanted her again. He doubted he would ever stop wanting her. She had become a drug the moment he’d first kissed her that short morning ago in the tower. He would never get enough, and now, having been buried repeatedly in her lush body, he knew just what heaven waited for him.

She sighed softly, a quiet sound of contentment. Her sleep was deep and peaceful though he wondered if she dreamed, and if she did, did she dream of him?

Loki slipped lower in the bed, closer to her, and traced small runes and little patterns on her skin. Not spells by any means, just… doodles as she would call them. Her skin was so soft and warm. Like velvet. He had difficulty keeping his hands to himself when it was laid bare for his viewing and touching pleasure.

When she sighed again, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, an apology for disturbing her. That wasn’t his intention, he couldn’t get enough of her. His _Ástvinur_. His wife.

Still, he wanted her to rest. The day would be long, and though he would do all in his power to see her stress at a minimum, he knew she would worry about the children. Nothing would happen to them, not with the team of heroes circling, but she would still fret. She loved them, a feeling he could admit to sharing for they were quite darling. Little Sara had stolen his heart and Benny was a charmer in the making.

He wanted to snatch them up and steal them away from the family drama about to unfold. Family drama was something he was well versed in. He didn’t want that for them. It could scar their psyches, but here, again, he was stymied as to what to do.

On Asgard, it would be easy. He was a prince. He would make the decree removing the children from the horror of their mother and place them where they would be best situated. That place would be under Lauren’s charge, of course. Thor would back him on it. Odin might hesitate momentarily, the All-father more inclined to study every angle and possible repercussion to such an action before giving agreement, but eventually, Lauren would have become the guardian for both children.

However, this was not Asgard.

Frustrated by how little authority he had in this situation, Loki slowly shifted away from Lauren and off the bed. A quick flick of wrist had him garbed in the black sleep pants he’d been using for bed these past few nights, and he walked across the room to open the doors to the outside.

Everything had returned to what it once was. The magic he’d used had faded away, and now the grounds and house were much less appealing. The only changes which remained were the ones to their bedchamber.

The air was still on the balcony. The night seemed to hold its breath. Muggy, Loki found the clinging feel of the heat which had not dissipated with the descent into night vexing. The cold of Asgard had never bothered him - the reason why coming with the revelation of his background - but he disliked this sweltering stew of heat and wet which seemed to hang on the air like a thick blanket.

He dropped his temperature and sent the wind swirling around as he stepped to the balcony railing and peered out into the night. The moon was quite full. Small wisps of cloud floated across its face. Its light coated the grounds in silver, but it was the silence which drew Loki’s notice.

Nothing moved. Nothing stirred. Not a single creature made a sound. It was an unnatural stillness and the hair on his nape lifted.

He tightened his grip on the balcony railing and let the magic he’d sunk into the wood and metal of the house flow through him. There was nothing, and no one was trying to gain access, yet still, when not even the insects sang something was wrong.

A flick of a finger had the doors at his back closing, sealing his _Ástvinur_ inside under the strongest of protections. The house could be hit with a bomb, and that room wouldn’t even shake. Another flick saw him dressed, and a final one made him invisible so when he leapt from the balcony to prowl the grounds no one would see him coming.

Loki stalked into the open, his hand out, wrist rolling as he began to weave magic into the night. Then, in the nearby stand of trees, he caught the scent of cigarette smoke and turned in time to see the glow of the ember. Someone watched from the shadows, but was he the only watcher?

He waved his hand and shifted his position to appear behind the person lurking in the dark. A moment of study assured him the interloper was not in contact with anyone via radio. “Where I am from it is considered rude to hide in the shadows and watch a sleeping house.”

Unlike most, he didn’t jerk around. He did freeze, but it was only for a moment before taking a final drag on his cigarette and snuffing it out on the trunk of the tree he leaned against. “One could say the same about wise guys who sneak up on people in the dark.”

His face remained in shadow, but a slight accent, barely there, assured Loki he was dealing with someone associated with the Bianci family. “One could argue you deserved it, lurking as you are.” Loki shifted to step out of his own shadows. “Might I have the name of the person I will soon be maiming?”

He flashed a grin and pulled a gun. “I don’t think so. You seem to have walked into the mouth of the wolf, _ja mook_.”

Loki tsked softly. “It is not nice to call people names.” In a heartbeat, he’d knocked the gun from the man’s hand and had him pinned a foot from the ground against the tree at his back by the hand Loki had wrapped around his throat. “Now, would you like to be civilized and answer my questions or…” he let his magic wash over him, shifting his attire, summoning his staff, and grinning as the weight of his helmet and horns settled on his brow, “am I going to have to get… creative?”

“Holy… mother of god!” the man wheezed, grabbing for Loki’s wrist.

“Unfortunately, my mother is no longer alive to answer your prayer. Even if she were, she'd be more inclined to add her sword to your body than appeal to my forgiving nature, so you will simply have to deal with me.” The staff in his hand thinned and shortened, curving as it did, becoming a wickedly sharp blade Loki brought to bear between the man’s legs.

“Wait! Wait! Can’t we talk about this?” he squeaked.

“You did not seem overly inclined to discuss your reasons for being here, and I did warn you I was in the mood to maim something. Especially if you were one of the _drittsekker_ who came for the child of my heart tonight.”

“Oi, it’s just a job! We weren’t gonna hurt her none.”

“Lies,” Loki hissed. “You would have terrified her! That in itself would cause harm!”

“We only do what we’re paid to do! Everyone’s gotta make a living!” he kicked out against the trunk of the tree.

Loki took a step back, but his grip never faltered when he threw the man up over his head in an arch, only to twist and slam him back first into the ground. A sharp gasp of breath exploded from his lungs, and Loki waved his hand, sealing the henchmen spread eagle to the ground. A familiar face stared up at him, one known to Loki thanks to Stark’s intel. “I grow weary of your games, mortal. You can speak of your intended purpose here, or I will simply take it from you. But know this, if I must strip the information from your memory I will do more than simply make you suffer.” He paused and smiled his dark smile as his staff vanished and his favourite blade appeared in his hand. He used the tip to clean his nails and asked, “Did you ever wonder where the Vikings of old learned to blood eagle a man? I must say, the first time I taught them how it was ever so messy. They really were quite terrible at following direction. I, on the other hand, have a precise and deft hand. All that chop, chop, chopping with an axe,” he snorted in disgust, “when it is so easy to reach in and snap a man’s bones with my fingers. Broken ribs make such… elegant wings.”

“Who the fuck…” the man wheezed, fear filling his eyes.

“Loki, brother of Thor, son of Odin, and the God of Mischief,” he gave a sweeping bow, “at your service. Shall we begin?”

“Jesus. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” he whispered, struggling to break free.

“That really will not work. You are tied with magic and may as well tell me what I wish to know. Otherwise…” Loki flicked his wrist, and the front of the man’s shirt tore open.

“Why should I tell you shit? Youze just gonna kill me anyway!”

“Oh, dear boy. There is killing, and then there is _killing_. I can make this easy.” Loki waved a hand, opening a portal to Svartalfheim, home of the now extinct dark elves. “I can send you to a barren world upon which you will live out your last days, or I can slice open your back, break your ribs, and rip out your lungs all while keeping you very alive and very aware. Choose.”

The smell of urine filled the air, and Loki laughed. “Wise choice.”

***

He didn’t, however, drop Mario Gallo through a portal to Svartalfheim as he’d promised. Instead, he’d opened a portal into a somewhat surprised Agent Hill’s living room and dumped Mario on her floor trussed up like a boar at _jól_.

She’d been understandably irate at his intrusion as she had been in a state of undress. Not naked, but in a rather interesting too large t-shirt and underwear set which just so happened to have the Avengers logo stamped on her bottom. A bottom he’d seen thanks to her leaping over the back of her sofa to reach the gun on the dining room table beyond it.

She’d sworn at him until he’d waved his hand and garbed her in her preferred uniform, including the style she usually wore her hair and explained in short, concise fashion who Mario was and why he was now lying on her floor. Only then did she calm down and exchange Mario’s bonds for SHIELD’s standard issue handcuffs.

He’d apologized for the smell, something Hill had waved off as of little concern. Apparently, she’d had criminals wet themselves in front of her before and was used to it. That bit of information had Loki eyeing her curiously, wondering, not for the first time, just what hidden talents Agent Hill possessed.

She’d waved her hand at him, indicating his outfit and arched a brow, her curiosity evident in her non-question. He’d only smiled and shrugged. It was an effective way of proving the veracity of his claims when he wanted people to fear him, and sent a shimmer of magic over his body, returning himself to his regular dark garb.

It was when he’d turned to go she’d offered her congratulations. It seemed word had spread to Fury, and through him to Hill, of Loki’s good fortune. A smile had curled his lips, and he’d nodded his thanks as he’d stepped through a new portal to the balcony outside Lauren’s door.

There were precious few hours left to the night, and he planned on spending them next to her. Now that he knew what the plan for today was, he had his own worked out for Francis Valentino and his crew. There would be no chance they would get anywhere near Lauren or the children.

Once the portal closed at his back, he looked out into the night, making sure no other lurked now that Mario was missing. The man was scheduled to check-in in four hours. A bit of magic added to the phone Loki had confiscated from the man would see the call going through exactly as it needed to. In the end, he’d done what was necessary and taken a stroll through Mario’s memories so the plan, when he put it forward to the others, would be successful.

But, for the moment, he had the time to return to his Lauren and indulge in the softness of her skin. Though his threats had been nothing more than that - he’d had no actual intention of blood eagling anyone, it was messy and quite ghastly, and frankly, not worth the effort - the mild bloodlust they’d invoked was still humming in his veins.

He was inclined to spend that energy somewhere. The body of his wife seemed an excellent place, as long as she was willing. Still, he stood at the railing, waiting, watching, listening to the night creatures call and croak. The stillness had lifted, and the humming sense of _wrong_ had fallen from his shoulders with Mario’s removal from the property.

Shifting back into nothing but his soft pants, Loki removed the protections he’d wrapped around her room and pushed the door quietly open. He’d been gone an hour, but it appeared she hadn’t even moved. Her arms still wrapped around her pillow, hair a gentle fall of silk down her back, gleaming beneath the last rays of moonlight.

It stopped his feet from moving forward. She was just so beautiful it made his breath catch and his heart pound.

“If you’re just gonna stare, you could come back to bed to do that.”

He blinked, and she opened her eyes to smile at him. “I thought you slept on, my heart,” Loki murmured, pulling the door shut behind him and making his way to the bed.

She pushed up on her elbows to look at him, her hair a wild riot around her he wanted to sink his fingers into. “You keep leavin’ our bed, peaches. If I were the suspicious sort, I’d think you had a side piece.”

He chuckled and sat beside her where he cupped her chin with a gentle hand. “I can assure you _that_ will never be possible. I see no one but you, love.” The angle was off, so he pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. It pulled a blush to her cheeks, pink and perfect and made him smile.

“And just what was so all-fired important to pull you out on the balcony?”

Her eyes were still slumberous, informing him she had not been awake for long. “Nothing of import that needs to be discussed now.”

She frowned. “Loki?”

“Are you thirsty, sweet?” he asked, sliding off the bed to go to the table where the water waited.

“You’re evadin’, peaches. What’s wrong?”

He glanced at her and nearly poured water over his hand. She’d sat up, the sheet now clutched to her chest, but she looked glorious. So enticing his mouth dried out and he had to swallow - twice - before he could speak. “Lauren, love, I would prefer not to spoil the last hours of our night by speaking of things which will sour your mood.” He picked up a small bunch of glossy purple grapes and returned to her side with both goblet and snack.

She narrowed her sparkling green eyes his way. “So instead, y’all are gonna let me worry about it for the rest of the night?”

Loki sighed and held out the glass before sitting on the edge of their bed. “It truly was nothing.”

“Then you can tell me what happened.” She refused to back down, growing more annoyed with him by the second.

“They set a watcher on the house.”

She nearly spit the water at him. “What!?”

Loki shrugged. “It is fine. He is in Agent Hill’s custody, there are no others, and the plan of attack for tomorrow is now known. The children will no longer be in danger as I have a plan to see their attempt foiled long before they ever put it into place.”

Huge, very round eyes stared at him, and he looked down at his hands where he fidgeted with the grapes. “It was nothing.”

“Loki.” She let the sheet drop and scooted closer. “That’s not nothin’. It’s real big, peaches. In fact, I feel so much better knowin’ we’re now a step ahead of them.”

He lifted his head, found her eyes dark and warm, and full of appreciation. He plucked a grape from its bunch and held it to her lips. “Do you now?”

She took it delicately, her lips closing around his fingertips as she pulled the piece of fruit away. “Mmm,” she hummed. “You make me feel safe, Loki. Even when things are uncertain, I still feel safer with you than any of the others.” The glass returned to her lips, and she sipped from it slowly, watching him with eyes brimming with hunger that had little to do with feeding her belly.

He gave a growl, and everything went flying when he tackled her to the bed. “You do such wicked things to me, my heart. A look. A spoken word of praise. A barely-there caress. All of it drives me wild, makes me ache and yearn. I will never fully slake the desire that lives inside me thanks to you.”

Her hands landed lightly on his cheeks. “You’re insatiable.”

“For you? Always.” He bent to brush their noses together, his chest coming in contact with her warm one.

She shivered. “You’re a little icy.”

“The night is sweltering,” he murmured, increasing his temperature as he settled over her. “I dislike the sticky, clingy feeling unless I have been doing something exertion wise to warrant such a state.”

“And just what kind of exertion would you be doin’?” she asked, her eyes bright and smile coy.

“I think you know, darling,” he purred and nuzzled into her neck.

Her hands caressed down his back, her touch light and nearly teasing, to slip beneath the waistband of his pants and squeeze his buttocks. “I bet I could guess.” She gave his pants a shove over his hips and began to knead gentle fingers into his flesh. “You really do have a great ass.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “One could say the same of you, _elskan min_.”

“Loki?” She blinked up at him.

“Darling?”

“I was wonderin’ about somethin’.” Her lashes swept down, hiding her eyes, her entire countenance turning shy.

“What’s that, precious?” He shifted over to her side, keeping his knee wedged between her thighs but otherwise removing his weight from her.

She kept one arm around his back, but the other skimmed around his waist to trace circles on his chest. “We only kinda sorta talked about… about kids, and after tonight… we weren’t exactly careful, and I’m not... I wasn’t plannin’, I mean… I-”

He gently set a finger on her lips. “My heart. We will have children if and when you are ready. Not before. I am not averse to having you all to myself for a while and took precautions days ago when we first became serious with our affections.”

“You did?” She looked up at him surprised.

“Of course, love.” Loki lightly stroked his fingers down her side, over her hip, and along her thigh. “You have all the say in this.” He brought his hand up to lay it on her lower abdomen and caressed her skin slowly. “While I may be essential in the creation of our child, it is your body which will have to bear him or her. I would not take such a choice from you by doing something so immature as forgetting to see you protected.”

“Loki.” Green emeralds glistened with moisture as she reached for him. “You get a say, too, peaches.”

“Oh, darling,” he crooned, dragging his nose over her cheek. “I assure you, I would happily see you grow big and round with my child at any given moment. The minute you are ready, you will not see the outside of our chamber until I am certain I have planted my child in your belly.” Her breath hitched in excitement, and he hid his grin in her shoulder. “It shall be a most pleasurable undertaking,” he murmured, skimming his mouth over her shoulder and down to brush the swell of her breast. “You will lose your voice with all the times I make you cry out.” He lightly plucked her swiftly beading nipple and flicked it with his tongue. “As I soak you in my seed.”

“Oh, my stars,” she moaned and grabbed handfuls of his hair to drag him back up to her mouth. “Practice. Very much practice, Loki.”

He laughed and kissed her. “Practice does make perfect.” A devious grin spread across his lips as he collapsed to the mattress beside her. “But I’m afraid you have quite worn me out, my love. I am simply _exhausted_.”

“Are you now?” she chuckled, rolling into his chest. “What a shame. Maybe if you’d eaten those grapes instead of simply chuckin’ them across the room…”

“You mean these?” He picked them off her pillow.

She plucked them from his fingers. “Seein’s as how you’re so tired...” Lauren plucked one from the stem and held it to his lips. “Should I feed them to you, oh mighty God of Mischief?”

Loki nipped it nimbly from her fingers. “Mmm,” he hummed. “But they would be even better from your lips.”

Lauren giggled but plucked another grape free and placed it between her lips before bending down. Her eyes sparkled like stars. Her skin glowed brighter than a moonbeam. She smelled of Amazonian lilies, ice, and snow, the latter two coming from being soaked in his scent. She appeared a goddess, wild and untamed with her hair tumbling messily around her face.

He wasn’t sure what she saw on his face, but she paused to frown a few inches from her intended goal.

“Lauren,” he murmured, his hands ascending to sink one into her hair and caress the soft sink of her cheek with the other. “I love you, so, so much.”

She ate the grape, a single tear dripping down her nose to land on his cheek. “You make my heart warm when you say that,” she whispered, moving to straddle his hips as their snack was forgotten.

He vanished his pants before she finished the action and hissed when her hot core connected with his heavy erection. “Then I will say it every day.” She sat up, and his hands slipped down her body, brushing over her breasts, her ribs, her hips. “You are exquisite, my love. You’re body glows. I cannot get over how you are changing. You grow more and more lovely with each passing hour.” Loki lightly touched the serpents around her belly button and smiled. “Do snakes scare you, pet?”

Lauren’s brow arched. “Can’t say they ever gave me a fright.”

“Excellent,” he purred and added a touch of magic to the gold. Between one breath and the next, her serpents came alive. Loki had them follow his fingertips up her body, sliding over her skin.

She gasped in surprise, then her eyes darkened, and a quiet moan escaped her lips. Whether it was the touch of his fingertips or the way the serpents slid over her skin, Loki wasn’t sure, but she was clearly enjoying his actions. He circled her breast, and the snakes followed, added his other hand and they split apart. He led one up to curl around her bicep and the other down to wrap around her forearm. That one’s head rested on the back of her hand, the elegant tapered appearance like a piece of art on her skin.

“Stunning,” he murmured, stroking the slightly raised golden scales.

“You are gonna put them back before mornin’ though, right?” she asked.

Loki looked up at her flushed face. She was soaking him in her essence, gradually growing wetter with his playing. Wrapped in gold with more gold in the silk of her hair curling over her shoulders and down her spine, he found his silver tongue had become tied. No creature in all his memory had ever been so enticing. So gloriously beautiful. So perfect.

“Loki?” she blinked down at him, the smile slowly sliding from her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he croaked and cleared his throat. “Nothing. I am just astounded by your beauty.”

Her smile returned with the caress of her hands over his chest. “Cat caught your tongue there a little or somethin’?”

“Or something,” he agreed and ran his palm over her arm. “And yes, I will return them to their permanent home in the morning.”

“Good. I don’t need to hear it from mama should she find out I’m all tatted up.”

Loki sat up and wrapped his arms around her. “The mark you bear is for my eyes only,” he growled against her skin. “It is not something anyone needs to be speaking about as it is not anyone else's business.”

“Then I guess, Mr. Mischief, you’d best be rememberin’ to put them back where they belon’ come mornin’.” She pecked him a kiss on the lips and gave him a shove, forcing him to let go when he fell back to the bed.

“What are you up to, darling?” he asked, eyeing her curiously.

She wiggled slightly, adjusting her position, and nearly rolled his eyes back with the way her hot, wet core rode over him. “Ain’t you the one who said he was _ever so exhausted_?” He nodded. “Then y’all should just lay back and relax.”

A slow glide of her hips over his sensitive skin did, this time, roll his eyes back and forced a gasp from his lips. His hands flew to her hips, but she wrapped her fingers around his wrists and drew them up to the pillow above his head. “Nuh uh. You’re tired, remember?”

She wanted to play, and Loki was more than willing to oblige her. “Quite right. How forgetful of me.”

Lauren bent and kissed the tip of his nose. “Forget again, and maybe I’ll have to tie _you_ to the bed.”

The slow smile which crawled across his mouth spoke volumes to how much he liked that idea.

“You’re such a kinky fucker,” she giggled and sat back, beginning to move her hips in that seriously flexible way of hers which turned him on so strongly.

“I believe the term you want is naughty.”

“Oh, peaches.” She grinned wickedly and shook her head. “You’re a lot more than just naughty.”

He bucked his hips, forcing a delighted gasp from her lips. “You like me that way.”

“Yeah,” she sighed, “I really do.”

Her gaze drifted down to his chest, and her hands slowly began to follow the planes and angles while her hips continued their wicked dance. She touched him like she was painting a memory, sealing it all away in her mind. Shadows and light fell over her, and when her hands reached his hips, she lifted up, wrapped her elegant fingers around his cock, and sank over him slowly.

It stole his breath. Just took it from him when her tight, wet walls closed around him again. “Lauren,” he moaned, a sound echoed by her when she settled back to his hips.

Her head was thrown back, mouth slightly open, eyes staring blindly at the ceiling. “Damn,” she whispered, making him chuckle. She smiled down at him, the darkening blush adorable to see. “I keep thinkin’ I’ll get used to that, but every time it’s just…”

“Just what, my heart?” he asked, adoring her candour.

“Just… everythin’. So good, Loki,” she sighed and began to move, once again taking his ability to breath with her.

His hands ached to touch her, were nearly cramping with how tight he had them clenched. Her nails scored his torso as she rose and fell over him. Her breasts swung slightly, her hair brushed over her skin in the same manner he wished his fingers were.

A quiet sound, barely a whimper slipped from her lips as she leaned back, rested her hands on his thighs, and took her pleasure from him with sleek, smooth strokes of her tight walls up and down his shaft.

He could only watch. Watch as he disappeared inside his lover’s body. Watch as her skin flushed with exertion. Watch in awe and amazement the siren she became. The Valkyrie she turned into when she let herself run wild.

“Oh, god, Loki! Please!” she begged, her hips grinding down. “Touch me!”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. He wanted to touch her everywhere at once but settled for palming her breasts, loving the way they filled his hands. Her nipples were hard, and he rolled them gently between finger and thumb, plucking them when she mewled in pleasure.

The seeming abandon she rode with was as enticing as the tight grasp and squeeze of her body, and for the first time in centuries Loki new with certainty, he would not outlast her. He brought a hand to her core to find her swollen nub and worked swift circles over it. He took her up fast, too lost in the heat and wet of her body to contain himself for long.

She moaned, long and loud when the pleasure of her orgasm broke over her. Her walls clamped tight, and she nearly stopped, shaking from the intensity.

Loki caught her by the back of the neck and pulled her forward, bringing her down to kiss her as he began to thrust up into her welcoming core, prolonging the end of her climax as he hit her sweet spot over and over again, striving for his own end.

Lauren panted against his lips, unable to concentrate on the mouth kissing hers, or the tongue that licked her lips. Her hands clenched to either side of his head, and she cried out with each sharp thrust. Eventually, she tucked her face into his throat to muffle her scream when, with a final hard plunge, Loki followed her into ecstasy.

Searing pleasure pulsed through him, screaming up his spine to pool in his loins and flow with his release. Arms wrapped tightly around her, he thrust in tiny movements, dragging out the last moments of his own climax until they both fell limp against the other.

“Wow,” she sighed.

He could feel her smile against his throat. “Wow, indeed.”

“You’re pretty good at this,” she teased as he rolled her to the side and cleaned them both with a wave of his hand.

There was a wet patch from where her goblet had gone flying, as well as slightly squashed grapes, both of which he removed with magic before pulling the sheet over their naked forms. “One could argue you are not so bad yourself, _elskan min_.”

“Only cause I’ve had a willin’ teacher,” she smirked as she set her head on his shoulder with a content sigh.

“And you’ve been such a pleasant student. Why don’t you rest, beloved, until we have our next lesson.”

Her eyes were already drooping. “Might be a good idea,” she murmured, scratching her nails lightly over his chest.

Holding her close, Loki pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Sleep, my heart. I will watch over you.”

“You too, peaches. I’ll meet you in my dreams…” she sighed and drifted off.

“Perhaps we will, my sweet Lauren. Perhaps we will,” he smiled and joined her.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing, smexy, angst, violence

* * *

Lauren stretched her arms up over her head as she walked into the kitchen and smiled back at Loki when he made an unintelligible noise. “Somethin’ wrong, peaches?”

“You know very well your shirt rides up when you do that, darling. Stop being coquettish,” he grumbled, pouting when she slipped out of reach of his grasping hands.

“None of that now. You know they’ll all be down here beggin’ for breakfast within the next hour. It’s your own fault, puttin’ me in this mess. You and Sadie,” she huffed. “Now not only am I cookin’ for the bottomless pits of the masses, but I’ve got to put a basket up for auction, too.” Already fretting, she yanked open the door to the fridge.

“Lauren,” Loki sighed and slipped up behind her to place his hands on her hips. “If you dislike it so much, why don’t we simply give Sadie and Marcus whatever monetary equivalent will satisfy them excusing you from this event?”

“Bite your tongue!” she huffed. “I already said I’d do it, and whether or not I hate it is beside the point. Participatin’ and showin’ my support for their foundation is. I can’t just back out.” Even if she did despise the idea of standing on a stage again. She preferred to be the assistant, the one who took the notes, answered the calls, and arranged events. Behind the scenes was a perfect place to be.

“My heart,” Loki murmured and pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. “You do not have to do anything that makes you this anxious. Had I known it would upset you so, I would have rejected the idea wholeheartedly last night.”

She sighed and closed the fridge to turn and face him. “It’s not all the picnic. I’m nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockin’ chairs over the kids and these people and everythin’ with Samuel.” Lauren dropped her forehead to his polo shirt covered chest.

He was dressed as immaculately as always, the deep blue of his shirt a complement to his eyes, while she had refused to let him dress her just yet, preferring to tug on a pair of cutoffs and a tank top in sunshine yellow. She’d brought the clothes, she may as well wear them, and as she would be cooking on what was already announcing itself as a scorcher of a day, Lauren had no desire to be overdressed next to a hot stove. Even her signature ponytail had been exchanged for a messy loop to keep her hair off her neck.

“ _Elskan min_ ,” he crooned, bringing her closer to his body by tightening his arms. “I told you. Everything is under control. The call which needed to be made has been. Soon the others will be caught up, and then this will be over. As for breakfast…” he flicked out his wrist, and the kitchen island was covered in enough food to stuff an elephant.

Plates of pancakes were piled high along with massive bowls of whip cream, mixed berries, and sliced peaches. The bowl with the strawberries sat separate, an omaĝe to Pepper’s allergy that turned Lauren’s heart over at Loki’s thoughtfulness. There were servers of bacon, eggs, and a platter of muffins still steaming as if she’d just taken them out of the oven.

“Loki!” Lauren gasped, “I think that’s cheatin’.” She couldn’t help but smile at his playful way around things.

“They will never know the difference. Now, about this basket…” He flicked his fingers a second time and had one appear at the end of the counter. “There. Fried chicken, the salad thing with the potatoes your Gran made, that delicious Hummingbird Cake, and a bottle of Asgard’s finest wine, along with fruits and cheeses of course.”

“Of course,” she snickered. “Have you left me anythin’ to do this mornin’?”

“You can make the coffee. Yours is always far superior to anything the others make.”

Lauren chuckled and tried to escape his hold only to find herself backed into the cold metal of the stainless steel refrigerator. She gasped in surprise and gave a breathy moan when Loki’s tongue slipped into her mouth.

His hand found its way beneath her top to cup and mould her satin encased breast. Even through the thicker padding of her bra he found her nipple and rubbed his thumb back and forth across it. “You can make it in a moment,” he said, grinding his pelvis into hers. “After I have my fill of you.”

“Insatiable,” she teased and wrapped her arms around his neck. He’d already had her when the sun had risen, rolling her beneath him to make slow, sweet love, and then again when they’d showered together, holding her up against the wall, taking her hard and fast. “I’m not havin’ sex with you in the kitchen, Loki.”

“That is what you think,” he growled and jerked her off the floor, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist.

“That is what I think. I’ll do a lot of things with you, peaches, but fuckin’ in the open where any old soul can walk in on us? That’s a big ol’ no.” Sure he could hide them with magic, but she wasn’t taking the chance he’d get distracted.

“Fine,” he huffed and carried her toward the butler’s pantry where he plopped her butt down on the counter. “Better, wife?”

“Much, but I’m still not havin’ sex with you in the pantry.”

He growled from his position, his forehead now pressed to her chest in frustration. “You are impossible, woman.” Loki huffed before relaxing against her to look up. “Just what would constitute an acceptable place for me to seduce you, my heart if I cannot convince you to let me have my way with you in the kitchen?”

“I do have a new found appreciation for tack rooms. Also, offices hold a special place in my heart. Hidden gardens are nice.” She grinned when his hands flexed on her bottom.

“Temptress. The moment I have you alone and behind a locked door…”

He let the pseudo-threat hang and Lauren shivered, anticipation skimming up her spine. “Such promises,” she crooned and leaned in to kiss him. His bottom lip was a tasty pout she just had to sink her teeth into.

He gave a content sigh and slipped his hands beneath the hem of her shirt, but only to rest them on the skin of her lower back.

Lauren linked her fingers together and fell into the sweet, sultry kiss. He tasted ridiculously good, still that peppermint patty flavour, but beneath it now she recognized the ice and snow, the crisp bite of frost, and the thing which made him who he was. She could taste the zing and tingle of magic which flowed beneath the surface in his very blood.

She would never, could never, grow tired of having his marvellous taste to look forward to with each kiss. Even the smallest of pecks still left a hint of who he was on her lips. Add in the way he smelled like everything she loved about winter and Lauren was hooked for life.

“What is that devious little smirk for?” Loki asked.

“I was just thinkin’ how much I love the way you smell and taste. You’re like all the best parts of winter wrapped up together.” Lauren brushed her nose along his cheek and carded her fingers through his hair.

“And you are like a sultry jungle, pet. Warm and lush and laced with lilies.” He buried his nose in her neck where he dragged it along the length to close his teeth gently on her shoulder next to the strap of her top. His fingers dipped beneath the waist of her shorts to knead the swell of her ass cheeks, slowly rocking her forward and into the hard length wedged between them.

She knew what he was doing, and though she’d protested, Lauren revelled in his attention. Even with all that had happened in the last few days, it felt surreal and gave her a thrill to know he wanted her so badly. She felt powerful, strong, and loved in a way she’d always longed for.

He’d done so much for her self-esteem. He made her feel beautiful. He made he feel graceful and seductive. No, she wasn’t unaware of the face in the mirror. Yes, she knew most people thought her pretty, but it had been so hard to believe what others said after so many, many years of being pounded with a negative image of herself, her body, and her brain.

For the first time ever, Lauren finally felt free.

“Loki,” she whimpered as tears burned her eyes.

“My heart,” he whispered, kissing her cheek and holding her gently. “It’s alright, darling. I understand.” One of his hands left the back of her shirt to lift and press against the stone in the center of her torque. “You are so special, and beautiful, and amazing. It is time you felt it. It is time you found yourself.”

“Without you… I don’t know if I ever would have,” she sighed, letting their foreheads rest together.

“Perhaps that is why the Norns have brought us together. You make me whole, my love. It is only right I should do the same for you. We are meant to be.” He let his hand lay against her heart, an action Lauren mirrored. “My life beats here. I could not long live without you at my side.”

“Good thing you won’t have to then, hm?” she murmured, feeling so overfull of emotion she wanted to laugh and cry and love and just wallow in the feel of him. She wanted to fall into him and live beneath his skin. To wrap herself around his heart and hold it tight to her own so nothing and no one could ever injure it again, and in turn, find the protection, the love, and the understanding she’d longed for all her life.

Unable to physically do so, Lauren simply let her arms rest on his shoulders, her wrists crossed and hands dangling loosely as she wiggled impossibly closer. She turned her head to lay on her arm and just… held him. Chest to breast, belly to belly, heart to heart. “I never thought I could love someone the way I love you.”

“You two are ridiculously sappy.”

Lauren startled and opened her eyes to see Bucky leaning in the doorway. “If y’all weren’t spyin’ like a super sneaky assassin, you wouldn’t have to see it.” She stuck her tongue out at him. “You could have said somethin’, Loki.”

“As we were not in a compromising position, and I personally like this one quite a lot, I wasn’t about to ruin the moment because of Barnes’ sneaky feet.”

Bucky’s eyes widened before his face twisted. “No. No funny business in places where people eat.”

Loki grinned wickedly. “Of course not.”

The super soldier’s eyes widened further and darted around before returning his gaze to them. “You know what? I don’t want to know.”

“Wasn’t gonna tell you anyway,” Lauren snickered as Loki stepped back and helped her slide to the ground.

Bucky took in her appearance and his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Looking good, doll face. You don’t usually dress so casual.”

A blush burned through Lauren’s cheeks while she played with the hem of her shirt. “Well, it’s already swelterin’, and what with you all demandin’ breakfast it was this or overheat.” She twisted the toes of her bare foot against the cold tile floor in an action which mirrored Sara’s from a few days ago.

“Ho, man. That smells amazing!” Steve’s voice rang out through the kitchen.

Bucky stepped out of the doorway, and Lauren linked her fingers through Loki’s, reached for the tin of coffee on a lower shelf, and smiled when Loki leaned over and kissed the back of her shoulder.

“As we do not want people to see your lovely adornment, my sweet, you may not want to stretch too high,” he murmured against her skin.

The hand with the can of coffee went right to her stomach, and Lauren eeped in surprise. “I forgot.”

“I don’t know how you could. Putting them back where they belong was incredibly memorable,” he chuckled.

The blush already present got even hotter. “Shush, you,” she huffed, but it was half-hearted at best. After all, he wasn’t wrong.

Her devious God of Mischief had pulled her beneath the shower spray and led her serpents back to their home around her belly button… with his mouth. He’d used his tongue, and they’d followed, sliding over her skin with the tiniest brush of sleek scales. Loki had put them back, then put his tongue to better use.

Just thinking about it made Lauren feel far too warm.

Loki brushed his hand down her spine, and it was icy. “You appear flushed, darling.”

She rolled her eyes and left the pantry to make the coffee. “Mornin’, Steve.”

“Lauren. Loki.” He grinned sheepishly as he jerked his hand away from the bowl of whipped cream.

Lauren chuckled. “Y’all can get started. I’m sure the others will be down soon enough. Eat while it’s hot. And, Steve?”

“Yeah, doll?” he said absently as he began to pile things on a plate.

“Happy birthday.”

Blue eyes darted up, and a red flush coloured his cheeks. “Um, thanks, Lauren.”

“See?” Bucky chuckled. “No one forgets your birthday.”

“The irony of being Captain America and being born on the same day this country celebrates its independence is both amusing and startling. Fate has a hand in all our lives it seems,” Loki said, handing Lauren a coffee filter. “Felicitations on your natal day, Captain.”

“Thanks,” Steve smiled and nodded.

“What is that smell?” Pepper breathed as she walked into the kitchen on Tony’s arm. “Oh, wow, Lauren! This is too much.”

A floaty peach wrap dress accentuated Pepper’s figure while Tony looked no different than the others in jeans and t-shirts. Seeing her dressed as if Pepper was heading to a ladies breakfast had Lauren suddenly feeling a little shabby, a little too underdressed, and she tugged on her shorts self consciously.

Loki’s hand captured hers, and he looked at her, his eyes so knowing before they slowly warmed with appreciation when he let his gaze drift down her body to her painted toes and back up.

It snapped Lauren instantly out of her head, and she smiled brightly at Pepper. “Considerin’ how much some of them eat? I don’t think so. Besides, I had help.” She gave Loki a wink. “Cookin’s a lot more fun when someone can do all the dishes with magic.”

“Does that mean you’ll do this again?” Bucky asked around a mouthful of pancakes.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, James,” Lauren scolded.

“Sorry.” He swallowed. “It’s just so damn good.”

“Seconded,” Steve mumbled, plowing through his own stack of pancakes.

“Coffee,” was all Tony said as he leaned against the counter and put on a pair of dark glasses.

Lauren tried not to smirk and bit her lip as she turned back to the coffee maker. “Did you indulge a little last night, boss?”

“Every time I finished a drink someone handed me a new one,” he grumbled. “I know you’re a lightweight. How the hell are you so chipper?”

“She’s of Asgard. It will take much more than a few glasses of Midgardian wine to make Lauren give that sweet giggle she makes when she is tipsy,” Loki informed them, his arm wrapped around her waist and made her shiver with the coolness radiating off him.

“I wager a horn of mead would do the trick,” Thor laughed wandering into the kitchen with Natasha.

Lauren glanced at the redhead, their gazes connected, and Nat smirked before casting an assessing eye toward Loki.

“Oh, my stars,” Lauren whispered and wrenched her face around, knowing it had turned a burning red.

“Mm, she is back to normal,” Loki whispered in Lauren’s ear. “And it appears they enjoyed themselves as much as we did.”

“Shut up, Laufeyson,” Lauren hissed and kicked him in the shin, trying not to die of embarrassment when Loki snickered.

“It’s Odinson, darling,” he teased and kissed her cheek.

“Do somethin’ useful and tell them about our visitor, peaches,” Lauren grumbled.

The atmosphere in the room changed so suddenly, Lauren felt it in the rise of the hair on the back of her neck.  

“Excuse me?” Steve laid down his fork.

Loki waved a dismissive hand. “It was nothing I could not handle on my own. In fact, it shall work splendidly toward my plan for the ones who dared to come after Sara. Mario was quite helpful… once he stopped resisting.” The smile on Loki’s face was wicked.

“You’re gonna give ‘em a heart attack, _elskan min_. Just tell them what happened,” Lauren huffed, having gotten the full story earlier.

“You ruin all my fun,” he pouted but got on with it. “His name was Mario Gallo, one of the men from earlier, and was sent by Valentino to watch the house and inform on any changes to our circumstances. Apparently, they knew a handful of Avengers were in residence, myself and Thor, thanks to the ignorant man who had been hired last minute by the setup crew.”

“The one you threatened to skin, brother?” Thor asked.

“You threatened to skin someone?” Lauren gasped.

“Yes, but he was that man who made you uncomfortable while dealing with that horrid white-haired snot of a woman, darling.” He squeezed her waist where his hand still rested.

She nearly snorted at his description of Quinn. “Oh. Alright then.” Lauren made to reach for the mugs above her, only to have them appear on the countertop. “Thanks, hun.”

He hummed and continued. “While that man was not part of last night’s crew, he is part of Valentino’s operation. He knew the layout of the house and where the children would be housed during the party and relayed this back to Valentino. Apparently, they have been planning to use Sara or Benny, or both if they could take both, as collateral until Avirett returned the funds he’d stolen.”

A hardening of Loki’s jaw had Lauren reaching out and brushing her hand up and down his abdomen before returning to pouring the coffee. She didn’t notice how Bucky, Steve, Thor and Pepper all smiled teasingly at the act of affection, nor how Nat smirked at Thor, or how Tony’s grin grew smug, for they were all back to their stoic faces by the time she turned around to begin passing out coffee cups. “Eat for heaven’s sake! I didn’t slave over no stove for it all to run cold. Y’all can chew and listen,” she huffed placing a coffee in Tony’s hand and offering the other to Pepper.

“You’re a godsend,” Tony muttered, inhaling over his cup.

“Designed by the Norns,” Loki smirked and chuckled when Lauren patted his cheek. “Knowing Thor and I were here only made them more determined to succeed in removing the children out from under our noses. The plan has been in place for some time. Jimmy Johnson, the one helping with the setup, has been renting a farm outside town, making it appear as if he was new to Greenville, and asking about work. Hence the reason he was here without proper vetting. Bianci, too, has been to the house under the pretense of purchasing one of the Annandale’s horses.”

The thought of it gave Lauren the willies. A crime lord in the house, meeting her father, seeing the children.

Loki’s hand caressed her arm as she took more coffee to the island. “Avirett has made a very serious enemy, and so, apparently, have we.”

“What’s that mean?” Bucky asked.

“Valentino has had a run in with both Natasha and Barton. It appears you foiled an assassination he’d been sent to carry out. He quite thoroughly hates you. While the Captain and Barnes had a hand in destroying a rather important shipment of narcotics Bianci was counting on. So, when Valentino realized not just two but six Avengers were suddenly in-house and showed interest and affection with the children, well…” Loki shrugged.

“It’s now become a challenge. A way to stick it to us all,” Natasha murmured.

Lauren looked at her, and her eyes were a hard, sharp green full of anger.

“I’m feeling particularly inclined to kick a little ass. What did you do with this… _Gallo_?” Nat asked, biting a strawberry off the end of her fork with a snap of teeth.

“I gave him to Hill. He is out of the way, and I have been in contact with Valentino as Gallo to inform him there has been no change. The Avengers remained overnight.”

“So, the question is, do we stay and make it a challenge? Or pretend to leave and let them think it’s going to be easy to take the kids,” Steve asked.

“Neither,” Loki smiled his signature grin. “There is a third option I think we shall all enjoy.”

***

“You’re not staying.”

Lauren paused before she reached the doorway, having slipped out of the kitchen after Loki revealed his plan to go check on the children only to find Pepper and Tony arguing outside the powder room door.

“Tony.”

“Don’t start,” he huffed.

“It’s not like there will be any danger. Not after you take care of Valentino and his men. Then we can spend the day at the fair. We never get to do things like this. It will be fun.” Pepper stepped into his chest and placed her hand lightly against his cheek. “We can eat cotton candy. Ride the Ferris wheel…”

“We are not riding the Ferris wheel! Who knows what kind of third-rate hack last checked its mechanics.” His arms slipped around her waist.

“They’ll likely have corn dogs,” Pepper tempted.

Lauren had to bring her hand to her mouth to contain her giggle when Tony’s eyes lit up.

“Ya think?”

“And mini donuts. You know you love mini donuts.” Pepper smiled and stroked her fingers along his beard. “You can even try your hand at winning me a teddy bear.”

“Maybe you should win me one,” he teased.

Her brow arched. “You know I could. I bet I could win one faster than you could.”

“You’re on!” Tony smirked and drew Pepper in for a tender kiss.

Lauren slipped away before either noticed her, a smile playing on her lips with Pepper’s sleek manipulation. It didn’t surprise her at all, Tony’s protective nature. Though Lauren hadn’t been around when Pepper had been kidnapped and experimented on by Aldrich Killian, she had seen the files and knew in general what had happened.

Tony went out of his way to make sure Pepper was never again put in a position which could see her injured because of him, but this time, Lauren too thought he was being a little ridiculous when he’d tried to make Pepper leave. There was no point.

Mario Gallo had revealed to Loki, Valentino and his men were staying at the farm this Jimmy had rented, what turned out to be the old Taggart place. It had once been a rundown house and a handful of outbuildings, but Kipling Scott, a former high school buddy of Marcus, had ended up buying it and turning it into a rental investment.

Lauren remembered Kipling from school but had little dealings with him, and her memories of him were vague at best. She’d only ever seen him if she’d been out with Marcus and Sadie, or in passing in the halls.

Still, after the dust settled with this forthcoming encounter, she figured she should probably give him a call and let him know the Avengers would compensate him for whatever damages had occurred. She was not so naive as to think there would not be damages. Two gods, two super soldiers, an assassin, and a man in an iron suit were not going to tiptoe their way around like it was a china shop. They would be the damn bull and plow their way through it.

But, going in hard and fast was the only way to be sure all who were involved were rounded up without tipping off the Bianci’s. Hill and Fury were set to go, the SHIELD op intricate and multifaceted. It could all come tumbling down far too quickly if one of the bad guys caught wind of what they were doing.

Loki was running point, to everyone’s surprise, and his plan was both devious and effective. Sure he could waltz in and take them all out himself, but Mario had unwillingly informed him that Valentino had called in reinforcements. They had planned to cause a disturbance at the fair, something resulting in mass panic and injuries, pulling the team away and causing complete chaos. Then, in the confusion, they would have taken the children and whoever had been with them.

Lauren shuddered for when Mario had been speaking about it, they had mentioned her. The sweet little blonde, he’d said. The one they’d nearly caught. The one who’d escaped out from under Valentino’s nose.

By now they would know who she was. They would know her name and that the children were her niece and nephew.

Loki had remained absolutely calm throughout the whole explanation, but Lauren knew better. His hand had twitched toward his waist, and she could only imagine what he’d done. She was of no illusion that he wouldn’t have reacted… poorly to that revelation. By now she knew him and knew exactly what he was capable of when angry.

She gave her head a shake, preferring not to think about it. He would always do whatever he felt was needed to protect her. As they all would. This time was no different.

For this reason she, and now Pepper, would be staying at the house where it was safe while the team went to Kipling’s property. As Mario had not been back, he couldn’t tell them what the intended target at the fairgrounds was, nor whether Valentino’s backup had arrived, were on route, or were set up elsewhere. Hence Tony’s upcoming role.

He, with the help of Loki’s magic, would be playing Mario and walking into the lion’s den. When Steve had protested because Tony would be going in sans suit, Loki had only thrown him a look of exasperation and irritation. For one, Tony would not be in danger as it was simple enough to weave a protective shield into the magic he was using to disguise Tony as Gallo, and two, Tony was the only other person besides himself who could speak fluent Italian should he be required to. Yes, Loki could do it, but he was better situated on the outside, capable of moving locations should they need to do so quickly.

Steve had closed his mouth with an arched brow and assessing nod, seeming to see Loki from a new perspective.

It made Lauren happy. They were all seeing Loki in a new light, a different light. No longer the backup, they were allowing him to put his exceptional mind to work, and he was excelling at it.

Once Tony had gotten the lowdown on what the plan was, they would move in and take out Valentino and his cronies. If by chance, there was a second team elsewhere, Thor and Loki would deal with them. Between the God of Thunder and the God of Mischief, there would be little chance of anyone escaping. Once everyone was rounded up, Hill had transport on standby waiting to collect the criminals and take them off the team’s hands.

Yes, it made her heart trip a little. Every time the Avengers were called up for a mission she worried, but she didn’t let it show. This was their job, and they were very good at it. Still, she had more invested this time, both in the children they were working to protect, and the man who had stepped into the leadership role of the team for the very first time.

Lauren blew out a heavy breath when the sound of high, childish giggles resounded behind the closed door she approached and pasted on a smile which became real as soon as she pushed open the door. Sara and Benny were sitting on the floor in their jammies with Usun between them. The puppy rolled on his back, all four feet in the air, wriggling happily as they rubbed his belly.

“You’re such a good boy,” Sara cooed causing Usun’s tongue to loll happily from his mouth.

“He sure is,” Lauren said, walking into the room to settle to her knees on the floor.

“Aunt Lu!” Benny jumped up and threw his arms around her neck before plopping his bum down on her knee. “You’re takin’ us to the fair, right?”

She nodded. “I am. We’re gonna go as soon as the team gets back.”

“Where they goin’?” he asked, blinking up at her with big, innocent blue eyes.

Sara’s face paled, and she buried it in Usun’s fur when the pup crawled up on her and licked her face.

“They have to go deal with some bad people, but after that, there will be nothin’ more to worry about.” Lauren ran her hand down Sara’s hair. “Nothin’ at all,” she promised when Sara looked up in tentative hope. “Let’s get y’all dressed and fed, and maybe Miss Potts would like a tour of the grounds.”

“Why are you so stupid?”

The hiss of hatred had Usun growling and Lauren stiffening in both surprise and anger.

“I beg your pardon?” Lauren snapped, turning to see Marabeth standing in the doorway.

She looked ready to take on the world in what Lauren knew was one of her power suits. A deep blue, the pants and jacket were so crisp you never would have guessed it was hot and humid already.

“You should be beggin’ my pardon after what you’ve done.” She stormed into the room and jerked Benny from Lauren’s lap by the arm. “The both of you best be gettin’ off that filthy floor right this instant! Get up, Sara Marie and stop handlin’ that mongrel. It’s goin’ straight to the pound the moment y’all leave. I can’t believe you’d be stupid enough to think I’d let you keep that mangy curr!”

“But, mama!” Sara cried, squeezing Usun all the tighter as big tears rolled down her face.

“Don’t you go blubberin’, Sara Marie or so help me I’ll give you somethin’ to cry about!” Marabeth shouted, and Benny squealed in pain when she twisted his arm.

“Enough!” Lauren shouted lurching to her feet to tear Marabeth’s hand away from her son. “Leave them be, Marabeth! They’re just babies!”

“They’re my brats, and I’ll do as I please!” she screamed.

Lauren was prepared this time when the open palm came at her face and deflected the blow while using the momentum to spin her sister back toward the door and push her out of the room. “I warned you I wouldn’t allow you to hit me again, Marabeth, and I won’t let you hurt your kids because you’re mad at Samuel!”

Marabeth stumbled into the hall. “What do you know about it?” she hissed, face hard with narrowed eyes.  

“I know he missed the party. I know you left in a hurry. I know you’re madder than a wet cat! If y’all are havin’ problems take it up with him, but you leave the kids outta it!”

“Or what, boo hoo?  You’ll run off and tell daddy on me?” she simpered and took a threatening step forward.

A thunderous, deep growl came from behind Lauren, somewhere around thigh height and she smiled, cold, sharp, and deadly at her sister. It was Loki’s smile, but Lauren used it with glee. “No, Marabeth. I won’t need to.” Without looking, she set her hand on the brindled coat of the fully grown _dyrehund_. “Usun will not be going anywhere. He was a gift from Thor. Try and remove him at your peril. Come at the kids like that again at your peril. You won’t like the consequences.” She stroked her hand down his coat before the hound stretched his body out on the rug and glared at Lauren’s sister.

“You’ll regret this, Lauren Guillemin!”

“I don’t think so, Marabeth Augustine.” Lauren lifted her chin and stood her ground. Both kids cowered behind her, afraid of their own mother. It sickened her. “You should go. Deal with whatever has you dressed so fancy at this time of day. I’ll take the kids into town.”

“They’re coming with me,” she growled.

“No. They are not.” Lauren glared her down. “You’ve clearly got important business. I ain’t got a problem lookin’ after them for the day.”

“I have a problem with it!” Marabeth snapped.

“Marabeth.” Their father’s voice resonated down the hall. “Lauren always takes them. Let them go.”

“But, daddy!” Marabeth wailed.

“They’ll be bored and bothersome taggin’ along with whatever it is you got goin’ on. They hardly get to see Lauren. Let them go.”

Thunderous brows and a pinched face glared at her before Marabeth stormed away. Her father stepped into the doorway seconds later, and Lauren sagged in relief.

“Thank you,” she whispered before dropping down to hug both the children tightly to her. Both had silently started to cry, and Sara burst fully into tears against Lauren’s shoulder. “Hush now, sugar cube. It’s okay. Your mama’s having a tough day is all.”

Lauren looked imploringly at her father, now standing in the room. This couldn’t keep happening.

He cast a confused glance at Usun. “Last time I saw him he was a might bit… smaller.”

“Usun’s magic, pawpaw,” Benny said, holding his arm with the other. “He protects us.”

The dog, for he was no longer a puppy, wagged his tail happily against the floor with a hearty thumping that saw dust mites floating up and through the sunbeam streaming in the children’s open window.

“I see that,” Hoyt nodded slowly, his hands tucked in his pockets. “You hurt your arm, buddy?”

“No,” he pouted. “Mama did.”

Lauren’s heart broke at the resigned way he said it. As if this wasn’t the first time Marabeth had done so. She knew it wasn’t, that her sister had been getting rougher with them for a while now, but to hear it come from the mouth of a six-year-old who’d barely begun his life, was painful. “Oh, baby,” she whispered and cupped his little face.

“Mr. Loki could fix it,” Sara said, knuckling the tears from her eyes. “He fixed mine when mama…” She trailed off, her eyes growing wide and scared, darting up to where Hoyt stood watching. “Um…”

Lauren watched her father’s heart break as pain rippled across his face. Hoyt took the last few steps and knelt down beside Sara where he scooped her up into his arms and held on tight. “You don’t worry about that none. I know Loki fixed your arm, sweet peach. From now on, I want you both to know if you’re scared, or your mama hurts you, you come to me, okay?” He brushed Sara’s hair back and stroked her cheek.

“Really?” she whispered.

“Really.” He tapped her nose. “That’s what pawpaws are for. That and sneakin’ treats when meemaw ain’t lookin’.” He winked at her and smiled.

Sara threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, pawpaw.”

“Aww, I love you, sweet peach.” He kissed the top of her head and squeezed his eyes closed.

Lauren had seen the moisture present, the tears aching to fall, and reached out to squeeze his forearm. “Thanks, daddy.”

“We ain’t havin’ no more of this in this house. I promise, Lauren. I won’t stand for it.”

“That’s good.” Lauren smiled at him even as she wished he’d come to this conclusion sooner and turned her focus to Benny who still cradled his arm. “Let’s see it, hun.”

The boy held it out, and Lauren flinched. Black and purple bruises had formed in the shape of Marabeth’s fingers. “It hurts, Aunt Lu.”

His chin wobbled, and big, silent tears dripped down his cheeks. “Oh, baby.” Lauren cuddled him close and called out, “Loki!”

He appeared in the doorway. “Darling?”

She watched him take in the room in a single glance. His face instantly hardened when it landed on Benny’s arm.

“Why young Ben, you seem to have gotten injured. How painful it looks. May I?” He didn’t wait for Benny’s agreement, though the boy gave it with a rapid nod of his head, simply dropped to a knee at Lauren’s side. “What ghastly bruising. Might I inquire just who wrenched your arm to the point of nearly breaking the bones?”

Loki’s eyes were cold and hard when he glared at Hoyt as if to say _now do you see_? Her father nodded once sharply, and Lauren touched Loki’s shoulder. “It got handled, peaches.”

“It should not _need_ to be handled,” he growled, continuing to glare at her father as he wrapped his fingers around Benny’s arm.

“Ooh, that’s cold!” Benny giggled as green and gold light gleamed from beneath Loki’s fingers.

Hoyt quietly cleared his throat. “Y’all will never guess who I saw at the party last night.”

“Who?” Sara chirped, her fear and sadness gone.

Lauren wondered if it was Loki’s arrival, or just that she now felt safe again thanks to having three adults around who she knew would stand up for her and protect her. Benny crawled onto Loki’s lap the instant her husband sat down, and Usun snuck his nose beneath her arm, prompting Lauren to wrap her arm around his neck and lean against his much bigger body. When he snuck a kiss to her chin with a flick of his tongue, she smiled, scratched his ear and murmured, “You’re such a good boy.” She didn’t notice the way he looked at her, or the look Loki gave them.

“I saw Angie last night,” Hoyt continued. “And she’s agreed to come back and look after y’all.”

“Really?” Benny squealed excitedly.

“She sure did.” Hoyt grinned.

“That’s great, daddy,” Lauren said. “She’s… okay with it?”

Hoyt nodded. “I assured her that wouldn’t happen again and that she’s bein’ hired on by me, not Marabeth. She’s gonna start tomorrow.”

“Yay!” Both kids yelled excitedly and leapt up to jump around.

“Oh, my. What a ruckus. What are y’all up to in- _good gracious_! When did he get so big?” Magnolia shied away from Lauren and Usun.

“He grew up, mama. Dogs and most people have a tendency to do that,” Lauren snapped, getting to her feet. “Kids, y’all get dressed then head down to the kitchen. The others are just finishin’ up breakfast and hopefully will have left you somethin’ to eat. I’m gonna go change, and then we’ll see if Miss Potts wants that tour.”

“Okay, Aunt Lu!” They called out as Lauren swept past her gaping mother and out into the hall. She only made it halfway back to her room before anger and hatred and disgust overwhelmed her, and she stopped to press a hand to the wall and the other to her mouth, praying she wouldn’t be violently ill.

“Just breathe, my love,” Loki whispered, turning her around to gather her close.

Lauren threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder. “What is wrong’ with her? What sick, twisted thing snapped in her head to make her hurt her own babies? God! She’s even worse than mama. Mama may have hurt me, but she never hit me. What the hell is wrong’ with her?”

“I’m afraid things will only go from bad to worse when what her husband has been doing comes to light. Is there a way to take them from her? Can we get them away from her before then? Can it be done here, darling?” Loki asked urgently.

“I don’t know. Yes, children in abusive homes can be removed, but Marabeth is well respected. It would be tough to prove, and she’s so good at twistin’ things, I just… I don’t know. And if I tried and failed, she could take the kids away altogether. I might never see them again.” She didn’t want to cry, not again, and rubbed her nose beneath his jaw to breathe him in. It was beginning to feel like she’d spent half her time here bawling her eyes out or wrapped around Loki. “I don’t know what to do anymore. At least daddy’s gettin’ involved. Between him and Usun, I feel a little better about leavin’, but… she scares me, Loki. Marabeth scares me.”

“I know, my heart. Before we go, I will give the children a gift. If their need is great, they can use it to call for me directly. It will not matter where in the nine realms I am. I will hear and know they need me, and I will come.”

Shocked, Lauren pulled back to look at him. “You’d do that for them?”

“Lauren.” He released her but only to cup her face. His eyes were washed in green magic. “I would do it for you. You love them with everything you are. If I could take them from her and give them to you, I would do it, but your Midgardian laws are foreign to me. The others assure me this cannot be done so I will do what I must do to see they are safe.”

He had done so much for her already. Adding one more thing, one more step seemed like asking too much, even if it was for the children she loved so dearly. “You… you shouldn’t… not just for me…”

He smiled. “No, my darling. Not just for you but for me as well, for as they are the children of your heart, so have they become mine. If something were to harm them, what pain and sorrow you would feel, I would also feel. They are brave little darlings. No child should live in fear of pain or violence inflicted on them by their parents. I won’t stand for it. If giving them a way to contact me gives them peace of mind as well as you, what harm is there in it?”

Lauren wrapped her fingers around his wrists. “You’re too good, Loki. Too sweet and kind and genuine.”

“Only for you,” he whispered and brought her in for a tender kiss.

The slow brush of lips, the quiet understanding, and complete depth of his love was her undoing, and Lauren let the tears fall.

Loki swept her off her feet, wrapped them in magic, and sat with her before the empty fireplace on the makeshift throne in her room. “Do not fear, my love. They will be safe. Safe from the monsters who hunt them, and safe from the ones who live under the same roof. _I swear it_!”

His fist came down on the arm of the divan making her jolt, but Lauren only curled further into him. She needed to sink into his love and his comforting embrace for a few minutes before she locked it all up and spent the day with the children away from the drama which was about to unfold for Marabeth and her husband.

She didn’t notice the blood which dripped from Loki’s fingers onto the arm of the divan, nor the hard, sharp, calculating glare he levelled at the fireplace.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Blood, violence, swearing, Loki being Loki

* * *

“I need to kill something.”

“You do not _need_ to, you simply want to.”

“No, brother. I _need_ to kill something before I return to that house and curse that woman to the farthest reaches of the nine realms! There are places I could stick her, Thor that would give rise to such pain, such terror before she died.” Loki clenched his fists again and tried not to either frost over the yard or burst into a flaming ball of green magic.

Thor’s hand came down on his shoulder. “Loki.”

He looked up into his brother’s earnest blue eyes.

“Is that what Lauren would want?” Thor asked.

Loki growled irately and pulled free of his brother. “You did not see the bruises on the boy. You did not see the ones on his sister. You did not comfort my _Ástvinur_ as she cried, _again_ , because of that woman! She breaks Lauren’s heart with every interaction! I can’t keep watching it, Thor!”

“Is there nothing to be done?” Thor sighed, his face showing the same level of disgust and dejection Loki knew was on his own.

Loki scrubbed a hand over his mouth and turned to watch Lauren chase Benny and Sara around the yard. Her dress was a bright red halter style which left her shoulders bare, ended at mid-thigh, and was covered in white polka dots. She’d put her hair up in a knot at the back of her head, and flat sandals in white protected her feet while her torque gleamed brightly around her throat. Usun jumped and played, chasing the children as well, licking at the bare legs of the kids who were dressed for fun in shorts and t-shirts. It was the most casual he’d ever seen Sara or Benny look, and knew by the scowl on Magnolia’s face their attire had been Hoyt’s doing.

“We spoke at length about it once she was calm again.” Loki crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “She is afraid, my Lauren.”

“Of what?”

“Of losing them altogether. If she accuses her sister of abuse, there are many layers of investigation which will need to be done. People will come and take the children away if it is deemed unsafe for them to be in their mother’s custody. Then there will be a fight, mud will be slung, and Marabeth is very good at making people see what she wishes them to. If Lauren tries and fails, Marabeth can ban her from seeing the children at all. Even with her father’s backing, with my backing, she is not certain they can win this battle. Throw in what is about to happen with Avirett and the Bianci’s… Marabeth could, potentially, claim she was stressed and had herself been abused by Samuel, saying she would never normally hurt her children. That is was the trauma of what has been happening with her husband which had pushed her over the edge. I don’t know.” Loki shook his head. “I just don’t know enough. Lauren has said most people believe it is best if the children stay with their mother and Marabeth will fight hard to keep the image she is presenting.”

“Then what can be done has been. You have protected them with Usun. We are removing the greatest threat, and Lauren’s father has had his eyes opened. You have done your best.”

Loki didn’t bother to mention how he’d threatened Marabeth if she ever touched the children again. It appeared his warning had fallen on deaf ears anyway. “Not everything, but I will rectify that oversite soon.”

Thor frowned at him. “Do not do anything which will upset your _Ástvinur_.”

“I would never.” Loki threw him a devious smile.

“Time to go,” Stark said, jogging over with the others. “Text came through. Gallo is supposed to head back.”

Loki clapped his hands together and magic flashed. Everyone was kitted out in their standard gear when the light waned except Stark. He looked exactly like Mario Gallo. “Coms.” He held out his hand, and everyone took one, Steve slipping his beneath his helmet. “We will be waiting for you when you arrive,” Loki informed Stark.

“You sure I can’t get shot? Whoa… that’s weird,” Tony muttered when his voice was no longer his own.

“You will sustain no injuries.”

“Really?” he asked, still skeptical.

Loki huffed out a breath and stabbed him in the chest. The blade which had materialized in his hand skidded off Tony’s shirt.

“Jesus!” Tony barked, jumping back.

“Satisfied?” he asked, annoyed at having his skills doubted.

“Yeah, yeah we’re good.” Tony nodded.

“Excellent. I have access to Gallo’s memories. Should you be questioned, I will assist you. He is cocky, annoying, and quick of tongue. In other words… be yourself.”

Steve chuckled. “He got you there.”

“Let’s do this. I’ll see you there.” Tony flipped Steve the bird and jogged off to get in the car hidden beyond the trees.

Loki left the others to their strategizing and return to Lauren, watching them from a few yards away. Worry rippled in her heart and Loki took her gently by the elbows. “Don’t, beloved. We will be fine.”

Lauren set her hands on his chest and began fiddling with the leather straps and metal buckles. “Be careful, please. I’ll be pretty upset if someone gets hurt, but I’d be devastated if it was you.”

He smiled and pulled her closer. “A wife barely a day and already nagging me.”

Her fingers tugged on his armour. “Watch it, buddy. I know where you sleep at night.”

Loki chuckled and kissed her softly. “And threats, too. Will you soon start harping like a fishwife?”

She pulled her arms from his hold and threw them around his neck. “Please,” she whispered against his throat. “Please, be careful.”

“Always, my heart. Always. I promise,” he murmured against her cheek, closing his arms around her. Her pounding heart and slight shaking had him tsking softly. “Everything will be fine, but I can’t leave you if you are in this state, darling.”

“Kiss me,” she whispered. “Kiss me and tell me you love me and then go. Do what you have to and come back safe.”

He lifted a hand to cup her cheek and rubbed away the single tear which fell from her eye. “You are so worried, love. I have never seen you so concerned before when we had to go away.”

She tangled her fingers in his hair. “I never had so much invested before. You, the kids, my family. I need this done, and I need you back here where I know y’all are safe. So kiss me, Loki, tell me you love me, and then go.”

“You are so brave, Lauren.” He leaned down and kissed her, gentle and tender, making certain his love for her was present in the press of his lips. She sighed into it, body falling into his when he deepened the kiss and sipped at her mouth, drawing forth that sweet, delicious flavour from her lips before finally biting into the bottom one softly as he drew away. “I love you, my darling.” He kissed her cheek. “My heart.” Her forehead. “My soul.” The corner of her mouth. “My wife,” he whispered, placing a final peck on her lips. “I will be back soon, everything will be fine, and we will spend a pleasant day with the children.”

He pulled away, smiled reassuringly at the two children clinging to Usun, sent a warning glance to the hound, and rounded on his heel to rejoin the others. With a flick of his hand, he opened a portal and walked through without looking back, the others following in his wake.

***

Lauren pressed a hand to her stomach and the other to her mouth, desperate to stave off the tears. She startled when an arm wrapped her waist and glanced toward Pepper. “Does it ever get easier?”

Pepper smiled and shook her head. “Never.”

“How do you do it? How do you watch Tony go, knowin’ what could be comin’, and not want to break down?”

“Breaking down makes it harder for them to go. So you smile, and you do what you did. Kiss him goodbye, tell him you love him, and hold it together until they leave. Then, you have a little cry and join me in a glass of wine,” Pepper said with a quiet laugh.

“Little early for drinkin’,” Lauren giggled and wiped her face.

“Mmm, it’s never too early for mimosas.” Pepper gave her a wink and led her toward the table where Hoyt and Magnolia were sitting.

Her mother looked grey, not at all well, and Lauren frowned at her father. “Daddy?”

“She knows. About Cissy, about what almost happened last night, and about what Samuel’s been up to.”

“Mama?” Lauren sat at her side and took her hands.

“I don’t… I don’t know… what to do,” she whispered, clutching Lauren’s fingers.

“Nothin’. There ain’t nothin’ to be done. What happens now… it’s outta our hands.” Lauren shook her head. “Cissy’s doin’ what’s best for her. We need to support her and be proud she took this step herself.”

Magnolia nodded, but she did so slowly as if she was only half listening.

“And the team will take care of the other stuff. We just need to be patient. Everythin’ will turn out alright,” she continued to try and assure her mother.

Magnolia ripped her hands away. “Alright? Nothin’ will ever be _alright_ ever again! Priscilla’s gonna be known as a junky, Marabeth’s husband is a criminal!” Her voice rose and grew shrill. “Our family is in _shambles_ and all of it is your fault!” she hissed, getting to her feet. “None of this started until you began stickin’ your nose in other people’s business. NO! Until _he_ started stickin’ his nose where it didn’t belong! You’re the cause of all this! Bringin’ that… that… _heathen_ into my house and stirrin’ up trouble. I’ll never forgive you for this, Lauren!”

“Me?” Lauren snapped, finally having had enough of her mother’s venom. She lurched to her feet to go toe to toe with Magnolia. “No, mama. You don’t get to blame this on me! I had nothin’ to do with Samuel’s lyin’ or his stealin’. I ain’t forcin’ Marabeth to hate on her children. Cissy is the one who chose to do drugs and drink to escape from her responsibilities and life, and I sure as _shit_ didn’t force you to sleep with George!”

Her mother went white. “You… you… I never… you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

“I should’a known there was somethin’ happenin’ all those years ago, but I was too naïve, too young to ever even consider such despicable behaviour from the woman who raised me. Who I was so desperate to have love me I cowed down to at every turn, but no more! I’m not some afterthought you can bully and terrorize to your will anymore! I’m a goddamned princess of Asgard and Loki’s wife. I’m not insignificant and it’s time you grew the hell up, mama!”

Magnolia paled even further which Lauren hadn’t thought possible before bursting into tears and rushing for the house.

Hoyt got slowly to his feet. “Lauren… she’s still your mama.”

Lauren lifted her chin. “That doesn’t mean I have to respect her. She lost my respect years ago and has done nothin’ to earn it back. I won’t apologize for _finally_ standin’ up for myself. _I won’t_!”

“She’s… far more fragile than you realize, Lauren Guillemin,” Hoyt sighed.

“Even if she is, I won’t be part of this toxic relationship with her anymore. I won’t accept blame for somethin’ that had nothin’ to do with me.”

His face hardened, but he nodded once and went after his wife.

Lauren flopped back into her chair, sprawled out with her hand over her eyes, and peaked at Pepper sitting quietly at her side, sipping her coffee like she sat through familial arguments every day. “Welcome to my home. We’re all nuttier than a squirrel’s nest.”

Pepper smirked. “Sweetie, I’m attached to Tony Stark. This?” She circled her fingers toward the house. “Is tame compared to some of the shit him and I’ve dealt with.”

“Least we managed to keep it from the kids,” Lauren sighed and looked toward the children playing with Usun closer to the house.

Her cup clicked softly when Pepper set it down, then she reached forward and linked their fingers together. “I have no right to comment on your family drama, but I do have one thing to say.”

Lauren straightened up and turned to face her. “No, please. I mean, if you gotta sit here and witness it, you may as well speak your peace.”

“I don’t know what the history is here, or only what I have been able to infer, but you weren’t wrong in what you said. Perhaps it was harsh, but sometimes, when we’ve failed to say what we needed to, continuing to bite our tongues until the resentment and anger and disappointment is so strong it won’t be held back any longer, harsh is what happens. You needed to speak and your mother needed to listen. Whether she will or not, that is no longer your problem. Whatever happens from here, whether or not you get an apology and can reconcile your relationship, that is on her.”

Lauren gave a sniffle and reached for the napkin sitting on the tray with the coffee pot. Using it to wipe her eyes, she smiled at Pepper. “Daddy told Loki she’s got a condition. A mental health issue. I don’t remember what he called it, but she’s refused to get help until recently. I hope… maybe this will help kick her in the ass so she’ll actually do it.”

“Maybe it will, but either way, Lauren none of this is your fault.”

“I know,” she whispered. “Loki… he’s done so much for my head. He talks about what I’ve done for him, but… I think he’s done just as much for me.”

Pepper patted her hand. “You’ve blossomed here, Lauren. Truly. Even with all this emotional upheaval, you’ve become someone so strong.”

Lauren gave a watery laugh. “Stop! You’ll make me cry and then Loki will worry.”

“We can’t have that now,” Pepper chuckled. “How about that tour? I’m not much of a horse person but they are certainly pretty.”

“They are definitely that. Kids!” Lauren called out. “Let’s show Ms. Potts around.”

Sara and Benny scampered over, Usun trotting along behind like a four-legged nanny. “I have a pony!” Benny giggled, bouncing up and down at Pepper’s side. “I can show you, Ms. Potts!”

“Ms. Potts is like Mrs. Potts on Beauty and the Beast,” Sara chirped. “But you’re much prettier.”

Pepper smiled softly and tweaked Sara’s nose. “Why thank you, Sara, but how about you both just call me Pepper, and I would love to see your pony, Benny.”

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Benny grabbed her hand and tugged.

Laughing, Pepper got to her feet and the four of them headed around the side of the house as the sun crested the tops of the trees.  

***

Loki stepped from the portal into a stand of trees, waiting as the others spread out around him. The portal snapped closed and he materialized his helmet out of thin air, shifted it into the half helmet of gold browband and horns, and slipped it over his head.

“Fancy,” Bucky teased.

“It is far too warm here for the entire thing,” Loki muttered and put his com in his ear. “Stark?”

“Do you know how disgusting this car is? It’s a sedan, Loki. _A sedan_! And a rental vehicle. There is something sticky on the steering wheel, the engine sounds like someone poured rocks in the motor oil, and I’m not even going to discuss the state of the back seat. Did this man have no concept of hygiene? Good god!”

Natasha snorted out a laugh. “Not up to your standards, Stark?”

“Don’t even start, Romanoff! If you could see the disgusting pigsty I am currently operating you would feel like vomiting too!”

“Prissy,” Bucky coughed.

“Bite me, tin man!”

“Pull it together, Tony. You’ll live.” Steve smirked at Loki. “I’m sure Loki would be willing to delouse you if you need it.”

When all Tony could seem to do was sputter, everyone laughed.

Chuckling softly, Loki raised his hands. “We are shielded from view for the moment, but that does not mean we can’t see who is hiding where.” The shield wavered, then red heat signatures began popping up.

It was a much smaller property than Lauren’s, more the standard style farm. A two-story house with a wraparound porch had a circular drive out front. A large red barn stood three hundred or so feet from the home, with other smaller outbuildings cropping up here and there. A long carport was less than fifty feet from the back of the home and had five vehicles parked beneath it.

Five men were in the barn, three more the house, and one sat sentinel on the front step.

“And Gallo would have made ten,” Loki murmured. “But only one guard. They are feeling overconfident.”

“We could take them now,” Bucky muttered. “Hit them while they’re unprepared.”

“And if there’s another team?” Steve shook his head. “We let this bit with Stark play out.”

“It is a good plan,” Nat murmured.

Loki glanced her way and tilted his head. “Devious is something I do well.”

“You’ve been holding out on us,” Steve muttered, his shield resting at his feet while he waited with his arms crossed.

“I have offered what help was needed. It is not my fault you never asked if I could do more.” Loki cast him a disapproving look.

“Well, I’m sure a shit looking forward to seeing what you’ve got up your sleeve now, Loki,” Bucky grinned.

Loki flicked out his wrist and made his dagger appear, slowly beginning to sharpen it against the stone he held in his other hand. “There will be little I cannot do. I’m afraid your Dr. Strange may be quite… put out by this.”

“Why?” Nat asked, turning on her Widow’s Bites.

“He once thought us equals in strength. I’m afraid that is no longer the case.” Loki laughed softly but it had a very wicked undertone to it.

“You and Strange have never gotten along. What happened there?” Bucky asked.

“Hm, it is unimportant,” Loki muttered.

“Strange called him a witch,” Thor chuckled.

“Shut up, brother.”

“Aren’t witches just another kind of magic user?” Steve asked. “Like Wanda?”

Thor snickered. “Not on Asgard.”

“Foul creatures,” Loki muttered. “Always so pessimistic and just… _witchy_!”

“They wear a lot of black, so it’s an easy similarity to make,” Thor teased.

“Do shut up, you big oaf,” Loki huffed. “Here comes Stark.”

They all fell silent as the car, a sedan indeed, drove up to the house and slowed.

“Around back. There is space in the carport,” Loki murmured.

“Roger that,” Stark muttered, doing as instructed. He parked and got out, stretching as if he’d been stationary a long time.

The door at the back of the house opened. “Gallo. The Valentino wants to see ya in the barn.” The screen door slammed as he headed down the stairs.

“Guy can’t even get breakfast first?” Tony quipped but waved a hand in acknowledgment and lead the way to the barn. 

“Natalia, be a dear and take out the sentry, then clear the house,” Loki murmured.

“On it.” She was gone in silence, not even a leaf twitching.

“Captain, you and Barnes get in position to take the barn. If there is no further threat, Thor and I will assist. Otherwise, Stark can call in his suit while Thor and I take out the second team.”

“Got it.” Steve nodded. He and Bucky went the opposite way of Natasha.

Loki continued to watch the house as Thor shifted closer.

“Tell me what you feel,” Thor said softly.

“The storm gathers, but… something has changed.” Loki frowned, watching Natasha slink along the side of the house and creep up on the porch where she put her bite to good use, catching the rifle before the unconscious man could drop it.

“One down,” she murmured, securing him with cuffs. “Moving on to clear the house. Loki, locations?”

“Rear right corner and second floor, front left room.” Loki peered curiously at the figure on the second floor. “He appears to be in the shower.”

“Oh, goody,” Natasha muttered. “So fun.” Her sarcasm was quite clear in the remark. 

“Is the change positive or negative, brother?” Thor asked.

The ravens rose to caw and circle above the trees across from them. “I don’t know yet,” Loki murmured.

“Gallo!”

“Valentino,” Tony muttered. “House was awake when I left.”

“Good. We’re gonna move forward with plan B.”

“What’s this map of?” Stark asked and paper rustled down the com.

“Fairgrounds. You know Sidwell, yeah?” Valentino asked.

“Yes you do,” Loki said. “His _ma_ and yours are friends.”

“Yeah, of course. How’s your ma?” Tony asked.

There was the sound of backs being slapped before a new voice answered. “Ah, you know. Bitches if I visit, bitches if I don’t. Same old, same old.”

“His mother still hasn’t given up her recipe for her meat pies,” Loki added.

“You know my ma still complains about not getting yours’ meat pie recipe,” Tony chuckled.

“Well, if yours would give up her cannoli recipe, we could make ourselves a trade,” Sidwell snickered.

“Sidwell, apparently, specializes in explosives. I would be especially careful what you shoot while in that barn, Captain. Blowing it sky high would see my wife quite upset with me.”

“What you here to blow up?” Tony asked.

Steve asked at the same time, “You got any magic tricks that can find the explosives before we accidentally set them off?”

Loki rolled his eyes at _tricks_. “Give me a moment.”

“Number two is down,” Natasha murmured. “Heading upstairs.”

“Be careful, Natalia,” Thor fairly purred, and Loki threw him a look. “What?” Thor asked, all innocence.

“I had to explain your ways to Lauren. She was not impressed. Keep your seductive tendencies in your pants, brother,” he grumbled.

“You ruin all my fun,” Thor sighed.

“Yeah, yeah!” Sidwell snickered. “C’mon. We’ll show you.” There was a moment of tension which seemed to resonate through Stark’s com. “I mean, Valentino will explain,” he backtracked quickly.

“Watch yourself, Sidwell,” Valentino growled. “The Avengers will suspect somethin’ by now. My guess is, if they had cameras, they’ve probably got an idea what we’re doing here, though they’ll likely be looking at Avirett first. Gives us time to snatch the kids at the fair.”

“What makes you so sure they’ll go?” Tony asked. “Won’t they just lock down the house and come hunting?”

“The little girl was full of _Aunt Lu_ this and _Aunt Lu_ that. How her Aunt always takes her to the fair. I watched her with them, that sweet piece of ass in that, _mmm_ , back-baring dress.” Valentino hummed in appreciation and Loki’s hands froze in mid-air. “If we can snatch her up today too, the things I’ve got planned for her.”

The men all laughed and Loki’s hands slowly clenched. “Get the location of the second team, Stark. Captain, there are no explosives on site.” He watched Barnes quietly scale the side of the barn and sneak inside an upper window.

“House is clear. Moving to the barn,” Natasha murmured. “Don’t kill him just yet, Loki. We need his intel.”

“Then you had best incapacitate him before I get there,” Loki hissed.

“Brother, we have our own job to do. We must stop whatever explosion is set for later,” Thor murmured.

“He speaks of assaulting my bonded _Ástvinur._ It is my _right,_ Thor!”

“I’ve got him,” Bucky whispered. “He won’t escape, even if I have to put a bullet in his spine. I’ve got this, Loki.”

“So? What’s the plan?” Tony asked.

“The Avengers are a cocky bunch. They’ll likely think they can protect the bitch and her brood. We have a team standing by to blow the Ferris wheel the minute they catch sight of even one of their ilk. We’ll be shadowin’ the girl. Ten-man team. Take the woman and the kids and haul ass outta there. Bianci wants the kids unharmed but... he doesn’t need to know about the woman. Not right away, anyway.” A few of them laughed along with Valentino.

Loki’s teeth ground loudly together. “Stark.”

“Fuck I hate Ferris wheels. So the bomb set or what?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, it’s set. Push of a button and we’re gold. The Avengers will run off to help, leaving only one or two behind to watch the kids, and that’s when we’ll strike.”

“Good. I wanna get outta here. All this fresh air is making me nauseous. The other team good to go?”

“You’s sure asking a lot a questions all of a sudden, Gallo. What’s up with that?” Valentino asked.

“Nothing!” Tony bluffed. “I just wanna get this done. The Avengers make me nervous. Especially that Iron Man. The last thing I need is a missile blowin’ smoke up my ass!”

“ _Sei sicuro di stare bene_?” Valentino muttered.

 _You sure you’re fine?_ Loki mentally translated.

“Yeah. I just need some eats. I’m fine, boss,” Tony said.

Loki knew instantly he’d made a mistake. No one called Valentino _boss_. That moniker was reserved only for Bianci. “Call your armour! Everyone go!” He shifted both himself and Thor to the hayloft beside Barnes just as Valentino drew his weapon on Tony and the rest of his men followed his lead.

“Who are you?” Valentino barked.

Tony only grinned with Gallo’s face. “Oh, FRIDAY. Be a dear and send it in.” The Iron Man suit plowed through the barn door with Natasha steps behind.

“Hello, boys,” she drawled and punched the closest one in the face.

The Captain kicked in the back door to a hail of bullets bouncing off his shield, while Barnes took out two from the loft. Thor sparked with lightning, his eyes on the one likely to be Sidwell, standing closest to Stark, but Loki only had eyes for Valentino as he unloaded two rounds into Tony’s chest. The bullets ricocheted off and Stark’s suit closed around him.

Loki stepped off the second story to land loudly behind Valentino. “You have made a _most_ grievous error,” he sneered when Valentino spun around and gaped at him in horror. Loki stabbed him twice, once in the arm of the hand holding the gun, sending the weapon tumbling to the ground, the second in the abdomen causing him to double over. “How dare you try to take what’s mine! How dare you talk about my woman as if she were a thing of no value to be used and discarded. _How dare you_!” he roared and slammed his hand around Valentino’s throat to lift him high and hold him suspended in the air. “I should rip out your lungs and feed them to you for so much as suggesting hurting what I claim as my own!”

“Just… job…” he wheezed and Loki stabbed him twice more, a quick in and out to his thighs. Valentino’s scream ripped through the stillness now present in the barn.

“Easy, brother,” Thor murmured, moving closer with caution, the bomb maker held captive by the back of his clothes. He was dangling from Thor’s fist, stunned and twitching from the lightning still rippling along Thor’s skin.

Loki ignored his brother and threw Valentino at the wall where he hung suspended, ice clawing its way over his ankles and wrists as Loki stalked after him, anger running so cold each step sent frost racing out from beneath his feet. “You will tell me the location of the second team. You will tell me the location of this bomb, or so help me, not even the Norns will recognize you when I drop you into hell!”

“Stand down, Loki,” Steve said, holding out his hand.

“Yes, listen to your Captain,” Valentino chuckled weakly. “Avengers don’t kill their captives.”

“You shut up,” Steve snarled.

Loki drew up in front of the man and dragged his dagger down Valentino’s chest, cutting through fabric and kevlar like a hot knife through butter and leaving a thin red line of welling blood behind on the hitman’s sternum. “Let me make this very clear. The knife wound in your abdomen is _quite_ fatal. Already your belly fills with blood. I estimate…” he cocked his head and frowned, “four minutes until you lose consciousness and six until you are dead. Now.” Loki flicked his hand and a chair appeared he sat regally down upon and crossed his legs. “You can give me what I want and I will stop the bleeding, saving your _miserable_ life, or I will wait until you lose consciousness and simply take it from your mind while allowing you to bleed out. Choose.”

Valentino swallowed thickly. “Where’s Gallo?” he asked.

“ _Choose_.”

“Is he dead?”

“ _Choose_!” Loki roared, causing his eyes to turn red and ice to coat everything around him in a three-foot radius.

“Loki…” Steve murmured, stepping closer.

He cast a disdainful glare at the man in the blue suit. “You cannot make me save this man, Captain. I won’t do it without the answers I seek. He talks, or he dies.”

“Loki, this isn’t our way.”

“No, Captain. It isn’t _your_ way, but it is mine.” He shifted his gaze to Natasha. “And hers.” He turned to look at Barnes. “And, I suspect, his.” Barnes only arched a brow. He looked at the man in the red suit but received no protestations from Stark, and Thor just tapped his hammer against his thigh.

“You’re really gonna let him kill me?” Valentino gasped.

“I am not killing you, you are dying and there is no one with enough medical skills to stop the internal bleeding who can get to you in time before you perish except me, and none of them can force me to assist you. So chose, Valentino. The team and the bomb or your life.”

Fear coated his face and Valentino’s eyes darted around the room, taking in all his unconscious men. “Okay, okay! I’ll talk!” he barked.

“Excellent. The team and the bomb, if you please.” Loki got to his feet and wiped his blade off on Valentino’s clothes. “But know this. If you lie to me, I _will_ know. They do not call me the God of Mischief and Lies for nothing.” He watched absolute terror fill the man’s face and smiled, wicked, sharp, and deadly. “Look at you. You’re holding up better than Gallo did. He pissed himself when I made him choose.” Loki laughed and dragged his dagger down Valentino’s cheek. “Come now… _Francis_. The bomb and the second team. Time is ticking away, as is your life with every beat,” he tapped the dagger on his chest, “beat,” and tapped it again, “beat of your heart.”

White-faced, Valentino told him everything.

***

Loki’s steps were long and gliding as he paced out of the barn with Thor on his heels. Barnes jogged out a few seconds later and called his name, prompting Loki to pause long enough to allow the soldier to catch up.

“Would you really have let him die?” Bucky asked.

Thor chuckled and Loki smiled the same grin he’d used on Francis. “My dear, Barnes. However, would I explain such a thing to my wife? But I do have a reputation. Why not use it to our advantage?”

“That isn’t a no, Loki,” Bucky grumbled but a smirk was twitching his lips.

Loki sighed and waved a dismissive hand. “Had Valentino passed out, I would have taken what I wished from his mind and healed him before leaving him for SHIELD to deal with trussed up like a _villsvin_ awaiting the spit. Now, are you joining us, or staying here?”

Bucky shook his head. “Think I’ll leave it to you. I better talk Steve off the ledge.”

“Ah, yes. I believe I may have _smudged_ his moral compass today. Pity. He will know better for next time.” Loki flicked his wrist and nodded to Bucky while Thor laughed uproariously and walked through the open portal.

“Come, brother. It is time to have some fun!” Thor called.

“Don’t wreck the town. Don’t hurt any civilians,” Tony warned from the open maw of the barn.

“What do you take me for?” Loki huffed and rolled his eyes.

Stark’s mask snapped up. “I was talking to Thor,” Tony smirked.

“Well, then…” Loki only smiled and walked through the portal.

“Hey! Reindeer games!” Tony barked before Loki could close it behind him. “Where’s my helicopter?”

His smile turned devious. “Why… I do believe it’s in pieces all over the lawn.”

“What!” Tony yelped, eyes bugging out.

“I dislike being spied upon,” Loki snarled and shut the portal with a snap.

“He’s not going to let that go,” Thor murmured, striding with Loki down the still quiet streets of Greenville.

Loki shrugged. “I can fix it if it is _that_ big a deal.”

“Will you?”

He smirked at his brother. “No.”

Thor snickered. “I figured as much.”

“Did you get what you needed from Sidwell?” Loki asked, slowing as they reached the fairgrounds.

Here, already, there was activity. Farmers tending livestock, which… confused him. He had no idea why there were rather large hogs, fluffy and overly clean cattle, and large draft breed horses held in pens off to the side.

“I did,” Thor murmured and glanced at Loki. “This just became more difficult.”

Loki snapped his fingers. “Get the bomb. I will deal with this… _crew_.”

“And keep all the fun for yourself? Bah!” Thor huffed.

Again, Loki rolled his eyes. “We do not have time to argue about this. Sidwell told you how to disarm it, and if you can’t, you can get it out of here before it goes off.”

“As easily as you could, Loki. Just admit you need to beat the crap out of a few people.”

“Fine! I wish to beat the crap out of a few people. Valentino barely took the edge off,” he huffed.

Thor chuckled and bounced his fist on Loki’s shoulder. “I will see to the bomb. Shall I assume people can no longer see us?”

“Correct, but I used the same spell as when we were children. You can rid yourself of it whenever you wish. Let us finish this. I am tired of my wife being upset.” Loki flowed away, heading toward the far side of the fairgrounds where a white van was parked while Thor jogged toward the Ferris wheel.

The van was nothing special. A large cube van without identifiable markings, like the one Agent Hill often used for surveillance, but inside… inside sat the two men who had helped place the bomb. They were waiting for further orders, orders which would not be forthcoming.

Valentino had been kind enough to explain how Sidwell had built the bomb overnight, snuck into the fairgrounds and placed it under the mechanical unit for the Ferris wheel, then returned to wait with the others while he’d left the two in the van as lookouts.

Jimmy Johnson had been in town long enough to learn there would be a parade down the main street starting in less than an hour. After, the entire town made their way to the fairgrounds where the day was spent judging contests, playing games, and going on rides before the big barbeque, dance, and fireworks later that evening.

The men were to blend in with the crowd and set off the bomb once Valentino gave the word.

The wellspring of rage he’d been doing his best to keep contained finally overflowed. They would have killed dozens, injured so many more, all to take the children of his heart and the woman who was his soul.

There was no hesitation as he stalked toward the back of the van and ripped the doors off their hinges. The men inside jumped up in surprise, stumbling together in their haste. “What the fuck…?”

“Gentlemen,” Loki smiled as he pulled his horns from his head. “You are about to have a terrible day.” He gave the horns a spin before chucking them through the door, hitting the man on the right in the face as Loki stepped inside.

“My nose!” Blood spurted from beneath the fist clamped to his face.

“You’s gonna pay for that!” Jimmy snapped.

Loki only laughed and dodged the wildly thrown punch, returning his own to the man’s ribs. A sharp crack sound and Jimmy screamed. Loki smiled and wrenched his head up by his hair.  “I wondered where you had slithered off to, _weasel_. You were not with your friends, but I knew I would catch up with you eventually.”

The man with the broken nose lunged at him, but Loki materialized a dagger and slammed it into his thigh. The high pitched squeal he made, like that of a pig, hurt Loki’s ears. “Now, now. I am busy at present. Wait your turn.”

The second man fell to the floor, grabbing his leg.

“I remember humans being so much tougher back in the day,” Loki sighed. “You are all just so… _fragile_ now,” he muttered, grabbing the hand flailing at him and breaking Jimmy’s thumb with nothing more than a squeeze of his fingers.

“Ah! Stop, stop! I give up! What do you want? I’ll do anything!” he blubbered.

“Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy… how foolish you are. How forgetful. I told you, quite clearly, to stay away from my woman,” Loki growled in his face, watching as Jimmy’s eyes widened in fear when the glamour of his humanity slowly burned away beneath the blue of his Jotun form. “Yet, here you are, _conspiring_ to take her from me. Did you really think I would allow _anyone to take my woman_!” he bellowed.

“No! No, no! We were supposed to take the kids! Just the kids!”

“Lies! Valentino changed his mind and wished to take my Lauren for himself. For doing so, he has paid in the coin of blood for his indiscretion against me, against what I claim as mine. Now… now it is your turn,” he hissed and traced an icy trail down the man’s cheek with his finger.

Jimmy’s eyes rolled back at the first contact and he fell into a dead faint.

“Ugh,” Loki huffed, disgusted. “Like I said. Fragile. So weak it’s embarrassing.”

“Please don’t kill me,” blubbered the other man he’d nearly forgotten.

Loki dropped Jimmy to the floor. “The detonator if you please.”

“Cell… cell phone!” He pointed to the one laying on the floor near Loki’s foot.

Loki stepped on it. “Some very nice people from SHIELD will be round to collect you. Behave for them and you will, likely, never see me again. Stir up trouble…” He arched a brow and let the threat hang.

“Yeah, yeah! Yeah. Whatever you say!”

He nodded frantically and Loki stepped over the fallen Jimmy to retrieve his helmet. “Very good.”

“You’d best watch your back,” the man murmured.

Loki narrowed his eyes and glared at the bleeding fool as he allowed his human glamour to return. “Why?”

“Bianci, he’s a mean son of a bitch. He ain’t gonna be happy you all interfered with his business.”

“Bianci will not long have a business to be concerned with,” Loki smiled and jerked his dagger from the man’s leg. Before he could do anything but draw breath to scream, Loki slammed the hilt into the man’s jaw and sent his eyes rolling back in his head as he joined Jimmy in unconsciousness. “Cretin,” he grumbled, rising to his feet. “Come in, Agent Myers. I’m certain you and your men can handle it from here.”

“Loki.” He stepped into the back of the vehicle. Tall and broad of shoulder, the man was exceptionally bald but had bushy dark brows that always reminded Loki of fuzzy insects.

“That one will need a medic, the other has a few broken bones. Nothing serious. I keep forgetting how _breakable_ you humans are.” He shrugged and sauntered for the door. “Thor has the bomb?”

“He managed to remove it without incident. We’re in the process of taking it apart and will soon have the components safely stored.”

“Excellent. I shall leave you to it.” He stepped off the back of the van and Myers stuck his head out the opening.

“Hey, Loki. Is it true?”

“What?” Loki asked, slipping his horns back on his head.

“I overheard a rumour that you and Lauren are… a thing.”

“Thing?” he arched a brow and stared at Myers.

“You know, a _thing_. Like, you’re dating.”

He said it as if he hoped such a thing were not true and Loki lifted his chin, annoyance filling him at finding out she’d had _another_ admirer. “Lauren and I are not dating.”

Myers gave a relieved sigh. “Oh, well then-”

“We are engaged to be wed.” His face fell into a look of utter shock. “Though, technically, we are already married by Asgardian standards.” Smirking, Loki turned and walked away. “Have a nice day, Agent Myers.”

“You… you too.”

Loki looked back over his shoulder, horns glinting in the sun, matching the gleam of amusement he was certain was in his eyes and let his grin widen. “Oh, I’m certain I will, Agent. _Very certain_.”


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Swearing, smut, NSFW

* * *

Lauren was giggling over Benny, trying to do a cartwheel after Pepper, in her peach wrap dress, had shown him how when the tingle of awareness raced down her spine, and she turned in time to watch Loki and Thor walk out of a portal. Both looked fine, relaxed and calm, neither sporting any sign of injury. She breathed out in relief and had to lock her knees when they wobbled.

Sure they were a little weak with relief, but there was just something about Loki in his “workwear” which made her libido sit up and howl. Add in how it was the first time she'd seen him wear the helmet in person, not pictures, and the sudden clench of her womb was well justified. “Oh, my stars,” she whispered, staring at him in all his glory.

“Darling,” he crooned, eyes warm and grin wide when he took her by the waist.

Thor continued on to speak with Pepper, but Lauren couldn't draw her gaze from the shining gold horns. “That's…”

“What, pet?” he asked, his smile smug.

She reached up and traced her fingers lightly along the curve of one before wrapping her hand around the middle. “That's really hot.” Her gaze drifted down to lock with his as her smile turned sultry. “What would you say to leavin’ this on next time we play? Just imagine the grip I could get while your tongue is busy between my-”

His mouth sealed to hers with a growl. Feasted. Ate at her lips and shot heat straight to her loins. “Naughty,” he purred. “Small ears, darling.”

Lauren flushed and glance toward the children chattering away at Thor. “You make me forget myself.”

He pulled the horns from his head and placed them on hers to Lauren’s giggle of delight. “They look better on you.”

“They're heavy,” she said, lifting her hands to hold them in place.

“One grows used to the weight.”

She wondered if one ever grew used to the responsibility but didn't ask. “Everythin’ go okay?”

“Just as planned, my heart. Without a hitch and without injury.”

“Good,” she sighed and felt the tension fall from her shoulders.

A quinjet flew overhead and landed on the opposite side of the house.

“It seems the others are returning. I suppose we should go,” Loki said.

Magic shimmered, and Lauren felt the weight leave her brow when his helmet disappeared as did his work clothes to be replaced by his attire from earlier. She gave a sad sigh and pouted a little, latching her fingers into the open collar of his polo shirt.

Loki chuckled and drew her tighter to his body. “I imagine you will be quite happy to go to Asgard if only for the clothing.”

“I do like the leather look on you, peaches.” She slid her hand down to tuck in his back pocket. “Especially those tight pants,” she murmured, giving his tush a squeeze.

His brow arched. “Minx. Whatever shall I do with you?”

“Oh, I could think of one or two things, _elskan min_.”

“Ugh,” Tony huffed, landing beside them in all his armoured glory. “Must you PDA?”

“Yes,” Lauren snickered.

The mask snapped up right as Tony rolled his eyes. “Gross.”

“You're gross,” Lauren muttered.

He gasped. “I am not!”

“You can be. Or do I need to remind you of that incident in your lab when you-”

“Lauren!” he barked. “You promised.”

“I am now very interested in knowing what he did that was so disgusting, my heart?” Loki asked, a twinkle lighting up his eyes.

“And I'd very much like you to fix my helicopter, but I highly doubt either of us are going to get what we want.” Tony sent Lauren a hard look, but she only frowned in confusion.

“I wondered where it went but just figured you made it invisible after Marabeth grumbled about it,” she said, frowning up at Loki.

“Well, my sweet, after I discovered that Stark was taking private pictures of us without our knowledge, I was understandably upset. I may have taken my anger out on the aircraft.” Loki’s face was a mask of innocence.

Lauren’s certainly was not. “Y’all were _spyin’_ on us! Takin’ pictures when we were… Anthony Edward Stark!” she shrieked, face red with embarrassment.

“No, wait! No! He's making it sound worse than it was. We didn't see anything intimate like he’s implying!”

“Any picture taken of us alone, away from the tower and without our consent is one captured in a private moment. As our private moments are often intimate ones, you could have taken pictures at incredibly inopportune times,” Loki growled.

“Loki!” she barked as Pepper hurried over. “That ain't helpin’ matters at all!” Her face felt so red, Lauren wondered if it was even possible to be any more mortified than she was in that instant.

“Tony! What did you do now?” Pepper asked.

“Nothing!” he denied only to have Lauren glare at him.

“Really? Really, _Mr. Stark_?” Lauren threw up her arms. “First peepin’ Asgardians and now spyin’ billionaires. I give up! Come on, sugar cubes!” she called to the kids. “We're gettin’ gone before someone has the audacity to ask me the colour of my knickers!”

“Blue,” Loki coughed.

She punched him in the arm. “Shut your mouth, Loki, or y’all ain't gonna be knowin’ their colour for a good long time!”

“But, darling,” he whined.

Lauren narrowed her eyes and held out her hands, one to each of the children. “Perhaps I'll spend the day with Bucky and Steve. Two _actual_ gentlemen.”

“Rude!” he huffed.

She lifted her chin. “I do believe you started it,” she quipped and walked away.

“And now I am in trouble thanks to you,” Loki growled at Tony.

“No you ain't!” she called over her shoulder. “You shoved your foot in your mouth all on your own, Loki!”

Thor slapped his hand down on Loki's shoulder.“How are you enjoying the taste of your own arse this time, brother?” he teased and burst out laughing.

***

Lauren had returned to the kitchen to collect the basket for the auction and was standing at the island when familiar hands landed on her hips.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you, sweet,” Loki said softly, his lips whispering across the nape of her neck.

She heaved a sighed and braced her hands on the counter. “I’m used to bein’ a private person, hun. Kept my family business outta my work life until now. The drama of it all pushed way down, so it stayed buried. Then this all happens, and suddenly my dirty laundry is out there for everyone to see. To find out on top of it all Tony has pictures of the two of us…” Lauren rubbed at her temple where a headache was throbbing. “I’ve never wanted to live in the limelight. Bein’ Tony’s assistant is close enough. Havin’ all of y’all know about mama, and Marabeth, and what growin’ up here was like… I guess I’m afraid they’ll all look at me differently now. Then to have you say what you said…”

“It was like I was making light of it. Darling, I’m sorry. I meant to tease and only made things worse. Forgive me?” he asked, his lips skimming her shoulder.

“Always,” she smiled and tilted her head to give him access to the spot which made her shiver. “Least my yoga’s still private.”

Loki froze. “Um, about that…”

A wave of terror raced down her spine. “Loki?”

“The Captain, Natasha, and Barnes all know. They like to… watch.”

“What?” she squeaked. “Oh, my god! Is everyone I know a voyeur?”

He chuckled softly, but when he turned her around, he instantly sobered. Close to tears, Lauren dragged in a deep lungful of air to try and maintain her composure.

“My love, no. It isn’t like that at all.”

“Then what’s it like, Loki? They what? Stand around at four in the mornin’ drinkin’ coffee and watch me run through my routine?” He blinked in surprise, and she knew she’d hit it on the head. “Oh, god!” she moaned and covered her face with her hands. “Why the hell did they think I was out there so darn early? I didn’t want anyone knowin’! I definitely didn’t want anyone watchin’!”

He pulled her hands from her face and cupped her cheeks himself. “I swear, darling. It wasn’t like that. All three admire your ability greatly. Barnes is impressed and proud. Natasha is, I believe, the tiniest bit jealous, and the Captain expressed interest in learning from you to increase his own already notable flexibility. No matter what was said to you in the past about the yoga that you do, you have three talented Avengers admiring your skill. That should tell you how gifted you are. It is nothing to be ashamed of.”

She slowly lifted her gaze to his. “Really?”

“Really, darling. You are amazing at it. I think it may be my second favourite way of greeting the day.”

“What’s the first?” she asked, and he smirked wickedly.

“Waking up to bury myself in your lush body,” he crooned and nipped her lip. “Don’t be too angry with them, pet. They find peace and tranquillity in the graceful lines and flowing movement of your body. As do I.”

She felt the burn return to her face. “I'm not sure that's helpin’, Loki.”

“You are the most beautiful,” he whispered as he reached down to lift her to the countertop and step between her thighs. “Most graceful. The most elegant woman I've ever known. You have an exquisite talent, one I thoroughly enjoy. Watching you bend and twist and use the incredible strength right here,” he traced a finger down her torso, “leaves me breathless and wanting.”

“Loki,” she sighed, threading her fingers through his hair when he kissed the side of her throat.

“All those things you have been led to believe are shameful or abhorrent are in fact quite wonderful. Your soft heart.” He pressed a tender kiss to the apex of her cleavage. “Your sweet nature.” He licked a line of heat over the swell of her breast. “Your bendy spine,” he growled and made her giggle when he nipped at the strap of her dress. “Your wicked, smart tongue,” he purred and lifted his head, eyes of mischief laced green locking with hers as his mouth descended toward her own. “I would kiss you, my Valkyrie.”

“Apology accepted, Loki,” she whispered drawing him closer to tenderly brush her lips against his. Lauren slid her hands over his shoulders and down his back. She could feel the flex and play of his strong muscles beneath her fingers when he pulled her toward the edge of the counter.

His hands crept down to slip beneath the hem of her dress and slowly begin to bunch it in his fists as he guided it up her legs.

“Loki, no,” she moaned when his thumbs began to draw circles on her inner thighs.

“Mm,” he hummed, shifting his lips to her jaw and pressing kiss after kiss along the edge as he worked his way toward and then down her throat. “Don’t you mean, Loki, yes?”

His hands skimmed higher, his thumbs brushing the lace edge of her underwear, and Lauren gave an involuntary whimper. “You’re evil,” she whispered even as she shifted, her arms tightening to draw him closer.

“For you, pet, I could be the fairest of your heaven’s angels,” he crooned before sucking on the flesh beneath her ear.

She laughed softly and tilted her head back. “Oh, peaches. Then you really would be the devil.” Fingers skimmed the satin covering her core with just enough pressure to make her shudder.

“A devil am I?” he asked and her underwear disappeared.

“Loki!” she gasped, a flush darkening her cheeks even as she bit her lip to keep from crying out when his fingers were suddenly moving between her folds.

“Shh, my heart. You wouldn’t want anyone to know just how naughty you are, letting your husband finger you on the counter in the kitchen just feet away from where the others are waiting.”

She wanted to push him away, his words thoroughly disconcerting her, but she also wanted to pull him closer, sink into him and let him have his way. “You’re incorrigible,” Lauren moaned softly.

“It is all your fault. You put some rather imaginative ideas in my head earlier when you spoke of my helmet. All I can think about is the way you would tug on the horns while I took my tongue to your honeyed core.” His dexterous fingers found what he was seeking as they connected with her bundle of nerves and began to circle it rapidly. “If I can’t have that I at least want a taste, my sweet Lauren. A chance to feel you come again on my fingers, and your sweet cream to lick from them.”

“Loki… you shouldn’t…” she tried to protest, knowing they could be discovered at any moment, but his fingers delved within her already slick walls and stole her breath.

“I should. I definitely should,” he whispered, stroking her slowly in a come-hither motion that sent her senses spiralling into heady lust.

Her nails scratched up his back to latch around his collar and clutch him to her when she brought their mouths back together. Lauren swept her tongue over his lips and dove deep when he opened for her. The taste of him made her moan, and his fingers sped up their stroking. His free hand and arm banded around her waist, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hip as he returned her frantic kiss.

She broke away to pant against him, pleasure making her heart pound in her ears and flood her limbs with weakness. Lauren shifted one hand to his jaw, shuddering as pulsing waves grew in intensity.

“Open your eyes, my love. Open them,” he crooned, coaxing her closer to release with each drag of his fingers.

Lauren forced her lids to lift and found her gaze caught with his. Such excitement lived in their green depths it shook her to the very foundations. He did these things, played these games, took these risks, and saw to her pleasure not just for her benefit but for his as well. She knew he took as much joy from seeing to her needs as he did in fulfilling his own.

“Loki,” she moaned. “I’m gonna-” Her breath caught on the breaking wave of bliss, curling her into him when her muscles locked and her walls closed around his fingers. Something nearly feral filled his eyes, a look of such passion and possession, of such all-consuming _mine_ , Lauren keened softly, unable to look away.

“So good, my heart. So good. You are beautiful like this. A little more now, ah… there,” he whispered pressing up into her g-spot and threw her into a whole new round of clenching, body throbbing ecstasy.

Lauren rested her forehead against his while she shook and whimpered, her entire being his to command with nothing more than the crook of his finger. “You’re… somethin’ else,” she panted softly. “I was sure I said no sex in the kitchen.”

He pressed teasing kisses to the corner of her mouth before nipping at her bottom lip. “One could argue we still have not had sex in the kitchen. This was simply a bit of fun.” Slowly, he pulled his fingers from her drenched core, magic working to refresh her and return her underwear, while Loki drew his slick, glistening fingers from beneath the fabric of her dress.

Dark eyes, mischief filled, and sparkling green held her enraptured as he brought his fingers to his lips and ran his tongue up them. It was a slow lick as if he savoured every drop. Then, wicked light filled his eyes when his gaze dropped to her lips.

“Open your mouth, _elskan min_ ,” he purred.

She complied without hesitation, caught in his spell as desperately as a fish in a net. His fingers traced her parted lips before slipping between her teeth and over her tongue.

“Suck,” he growled, his eyes filled with lust.

Lauren wrapped her fingers around his wrist, closed her lips around his fingers, and sucked, licking the taste of herself from his skin. The mix of the two was nearly intoxicating, causing her lashes to flutter as she fought to keep them open. Her gaze latched with his, and she moaned quietly.

“Fuck,” hissed from Loki when she turned the tables on his game.

Using her newly discovered skills, Lauren licked and sucked and tugged on his fingers until he finally pulled them from her mouth with seeming reluctance.

“Such talent, my sweet, should not be wasted on something as contrite as fingers,” he crooned. “Later I will give you something to put your mouth on.”

“Promises, promises,” Lauren snickered and kissed him deeply, passing the lingering taste from her lips to his.

“Minx. You will be such trouble in the future, I am certain of it.” Loki returned his mouth to the flesh beneath her ear just as the back door slammed open.

“Oi! What did I say about funny business where people eat?” Bucky muttered.

“That you decided you didn’t want to know,” Lauren said with a smirk.

Bucky blinked for a moment then grinned. “That I did. But if you two want to quit sucking face, the rest of us are ready to go.”

He was back in casual clothing, and Lauren assumed Loki had redressed them all. “Kay, we’ll be right out.”

“Really? Or am I gonna come back in here to find you two wrapped around each other again?” His grin was wide, showing he was only teasing.

“No, no. I am quite… satisfied, for the moment at least,” Loki smirked and stepped back to assist Lauren from the counter.

“Stop it, peaches,” Lauren scolded as she landed lightly on the floor. “You just got finished apologizin’ for embarrassin’ me. Are you tryin’ to stick your foot back in your mouth?”

“Hardly,” he said, smiling as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of her knuckles. “Did you know Agent Myers was interested in you, beloved?”

His question came out of the blue and Lauren gaped at him in shock. “Shut your mouth! He was not?”

“Apparently,” Loki smirked at Bucky who rolled his eyes.

“She ain’t had eyes for no one but you in a year,” Bucky chuckled.

“Y’all are funnin’ me, right? Puttin’ me on?” Lauren stared from one to the other.

Loki collected the basket with a flick of his wrist while continuing to hold her hand. “He was most relieved when I told him we weren’t dating.” He smiled evilly. “Though he seemed most put out when I told him we were engaged to be married.”

“He was the big one, right? Without hair?” She knew them all, of course, but not well enough to have had more than passing conversations with most.

“Indeed, very bald,” Loki snickered.

Lauren looked up at his flowing locks and smiled. “I’d much rather have somethin’ to hold onto,” she snickered.

“Hey!” Bucky barked, his face twisting in disgust. “That’s TMI, thank you very much.”

She grinned wickedly at Bucky. “What? I didn’t say anythin’. Why is your mind always in the gutter, James?”

Loki burst out laughing at the Sergeant’s look of disbelief and led her out the door.

***

Loki walked along behind Lauren and the overly excited children, watching over them fondly as Usun stuck close to Lauren’s side. The hound kept a wary eye on the people milling about but played the part of the well behaved, loyal companion in this throng of humanity. There had been a fuss when they’d walked in with their animal unleashed, but Lauren had assured the person - someone she’d grown up with - their _dog_ was perfectly trained and would stay at her side without incident the entire time.

Usun had sat and held out his paw to the woman, a dopy canine grin on his face, causing both Thor and Loki to snicker quietly. The woman was charmed, and no one was the wiser. A _dyrehund_ was no dog, but Usun had played his part spectacularly, and now they were in without incident.

Loki much preferred the fair to the inane parade he’d stood through. When he’d asked Lauren what the point of such a thing was, she’d only smiled down at the children, wide-eyed and glued to the street, dashing out to collect the candy thrown by the people riding, driving, or being driven, down the town’s main street.

The others had been mobbed, Steve, Bucky, Tony, Natasha and Thor all receiving their accolades from the adoring public. Loki was quite used to being the odd man out and felt little in the way of jealousy. His soul was settled, his _Ástvinur_ was safe and sound at his side, and the children she loved laughed and giggled as they collected candy he was content to hold for them when they raced back to collect more.

Lauren, however, had been quite irate when the Mayor of Greensville had invited the others up on the main stage to wave and acknowledged the crowd, only to exclude him from the offer. Done on purpose or not, Loki didn’t care. What use did he have for the accolades of others when all that mattered was Lauren’s opinion of him? Still, it put a scowl on her face as well as the team.

Steve had thanked the Mayor, his voice far harder than usual, expressing how they wouldn’t even be there to enjoy Greensville’s festivities if not for the fact _Loki_ was visiting his fiance, Lauren Annandale’s family.

That had certainly caused a few heads to swivel, but Loki only shrugged. There appeared to be far more people at the parade than had been at the party, so he knew there had to be a few out there who hadn’t yet heard the gossip. Of course, the Mayor had sputtered out an apology, especially as the man was one Loki remember seeing at the event the previous evening, but the damage was already done. He’d been excluded, and the Mayor had managed to annoy the entire team, Lauren, and Pepper.

It wasn’t the first time, but it was the first time someone other than Thor had been upset by it. While he didn’t want to acknowledge it just yet, Loki had felt a bloom of warmth around his heart. The others were trying. And, perhaps someday in the future, he would find the place he fit in, in the last place he expected.

He’d encouraged Lauren and the children away, not caring what the Mayor had to say once the parade ended. The apology would be forced and fake and full of lies. He would rather not suffer through it. Instead, he was here, wandering the grounds of colourful booths, loud and obnoxious rides, and a multitude of people. Tony and Pepper had wandered off. Natasha had commandeered Steve and Bucky to ride some ride the Captain was not thrilled about, but Thor walked along with him, keeping an eye on things as Loki was.

“And now?” Thor asked for what felt like the tenth time in half as many minutes.

“Brother, I will stab you.”

“I’m just concerned.”

Loki sighed. “I told you. It is a minor tingle of inconvenience. I no longer feel the looming sense of a dark future. Blood has been spilled…” but even as he said it, the _wrongness_ would not leave him be. “It is not what it was, but there is something. Minor or major…” He shrugged and looked at the sky. “I do not yet know.”

“I don’t like it,” Thor muttered. “We should collect Lauren and take her to Asgard.”

“Not until I hear from Fury that everyone is accounted for. I will not leave it to chance that Bianci will send someone else to take revenge on Avirett through his children.”

“What are you prepared to do?” Thor asked.

Loki sighed. “I will take them if I must.”

“Kidnapping?” Thor eyed him warily.

“If I must. I will see them safe. And no one would be able to prove it was me. Take them to Asgard where they will be safe and loved, and no one will hurt them again.”

“And what will you tell your _Ástvinur_?”

“I did what I thought was right.” He looked to Lauren helping Benny throw a ball at a stacked pile of cups. “I will do whatever it takes to make her happy.”

“I know you will, Loki.” Thor patted his shoulder. “Just make certain the action you take does not hurt her more in the long run.”

It was a chance he would have to be willing to take. “A last resort, brother. I promise.”

“Lu!”

He turned the direction of the shout of Lauren’s nickname and smiled a little to see Sadie weaving her way through the throng of people. Her wild mane of curls bounced along with her enthusiastic waving, and Loki wandered over to where Sara was tossing a ring at row upon row of bottle tops.

“Whatever are you up to, precious?” he asked as he crouched down at her side.

She turned frustrated eyes his way and pointed at the stuffed pony hanging behind the bored looking attendant. “I’m tryin’ to win that.”

“And what must you do to win?” Loki asked.

“Get the ring on the golden bottle in the middle or three rings on the red bottles.” She turned and tossed the ring, only to have it skip over the top of the bottles and fall down between.

“Sorry, little miss,” the man at the both said with a shrug. “Maybe next time.”

Sara’s lip wobbled.

“Perhaps I should try my luck?” Loki offered, sliding his hand into his pocket for the requisite three dollars he pulled out of thin air and gave to the man who offered another shrug.

“Your loss, pal.”

Loki fingered the rings the man handed over and peered at the game. It was a charlatans act for he already knew the game was rigged. The golden bottle’s top was too big for the ring to slide over. In fact, only a few of the bottles were small enough to catch a ring allowing for a few lucky souls to win a prize and keep the general public from growing suspicious. Unfortunately, the man was playing this game against the master of them.

Loki picked Sara up, holding her in one arm as he rubbed the ring between his finger and thumb with the other. “You see, my little dove, it is all in the wrist.” He gave the ring a flick and sent it spinning around the top of the golden bottle. He flicked the second and the third and sent all three to follow the lead of the first.

“You did it!” she squealed and clapped her hands together.

He smiled at her and turned expectant eyes on the man gaping at his game. “It appears I have won thrice over, but one of the stuffed ponies will suffice.”

“That’s… not possible…” the man muttered.

“Really?” Loki gasped. “Why ever not? You wouldn’t have rigged your game to _fail_ would you?”

The man paled. “No, no! Of course not. Just… I ain’t seen someone get it three times in a row like that… ever.” He reached up and pulled the pink pony down from where it was hung from his ceiling. “There you go, little darlin’.”

“Thank you!” she chirped, hugging the stuffy around the neck and bussing Loki a kiss to his cheek as he went to join Lauren and Benny standing with Thor and Sadie. They were a few steps away when her lips whispered close to his ear. “Loki? Was he cheatin’?”

“Why would you ask that, sweet?” he asked, slowing to a stop to look at her.

“You’re the God of Tricks. You would know if he was. The one time Daddy came to the fair with us, he wouldn’t let us play any games cause he said they were all crooked thieves who made the games impossible to win to steal our money.”

Loki blinked at her, finding her candour heartbreaking. A child of her age should not be aware of the dark side of humanity so young. She should be full of hope and wonder and excitement. Yes, one day she would have to grow up, but not at seven when life should be a journey full of imagination.

But he would not lie to her and instead tapped her lightly on the nose. “Aren’t you clever? Yes, precious, the game was rigged, but it isn’t anymore. There will be quite a few wins at that man’s game today.”

She giggled, and the light he often saw in Lauren’s eyes appeared in hers, one of amusement and mischief. “Well, that should teach him to be more honest.”

Loki stroked her hair and placed a kiss on her forehead. “You are too funny, my little dove.” She hugged the pony all the tighter and rested her head on his shoulder.

“You’re never gonna go away, right, Loki?”

“Not if I can help it, precious.” His gaze connected with Thor’s, his brother’s heart in his eyes practically breaking at Sara’s soft words. Loki knew in that instant, Thor would never question it if one day Sara and Benny suddenly appeared in Asgard without warning.

“Did you win, sugar cube?” Lauren asked, giving the leg of the pony a small tug. “She’s just about as big as you are.”

“Loki won it for me,” Sara giggled, holding her pony out to Lauren.

“Did he now?”

Lauren turned her smile on him and Loki felt a giant again, her approval and clear appreciation nearly making him shiver. “It’s all in the wrist,” he smirked at Sara who giggled behind the mane of her pony. “Isn’t that right, sweet?” Mischief danced in her eyes when she nodded.

Benny tugged at his pant leg. “Mr. Loki? Would you win me one?” He pointed at the bear hanging above the booth with the stacked bottles. “Aunt Lu tried, but she missed it by a hair.”

Thor took Sara from him to place her on his shoulders. “There truly is no one better at games than Loki.”

Loki chuckled when Sara set the pony on the top of Thor’s head, allowing its pink legs to hang to either side of Thor’s face. “That is a good look for you.” Thor only grinned, perfectly content to look a little foolish to make the girl happy, not that he wouldn’t also do the same. “Come, young Benny. Let’s see if we can add a new bear to your extensive menagerie.” He held his hand out for the boy and wandered toward the booth with the others following along behind.

It took only a glance to know the merchant behind the game was an honest man. It was not rigged, merely a challenge. Well, a challenge for anyone else. He paid the man, picked up the first ball, and tossed it at the tower. Everything crashed from the pedestal with ease, and Benny picked his bear with a squeal of delight.

“Wow,” Sadie muttered. “You didn’t… hocus-pocus that, did you?”

Loki arched a brow. “Hocus pocus? No.”

“It’s a game. He’s the God of them. Losing is damn near impossible,” Thor snickered.

“Crazy,” Sadie grinned.

With a shrug, Loki wrapped his arm around Lauren’s waist watching Benny hug his bear as the boy skipped along with a hand buried in Usun’s coat. “And what about you, love? Do you need a bear or a pony?” he teased.

Lauren laughed and shook her head while drawing her fingers along her torque. “I’m perfectly happy with my _prize_ , Loki. Long as you promise to win me, I’m content.”

A shot of anxiety rushed through him from the stone at her throat, and he squeezed her waist. “Of course, my heart. Is it that time?”

Sadie nodded excitedly. “There’s quite the hype, too, what with y’all bein’ here. Most people figure if they buy Lauren’s basket, they’ll get to have at least one of you around to eat with.”

He watched Lauren pale. “They can try, but none will succeed,” he promised her.

She sighed but smiled, some of the tension draining out of her body, and they followed the brightly chatting Sadie toward the outskirts of the fairgrounds where people had gathered, laying out blankets around a raised stage. There were enormous trees with widespread branches throwing shade spaced out in the park like setting.

Pepper and Tony were already sitting beneath one, Tony’s head pillowed in Pepper’s lap. The other three, Nat, Steve, and Bucky, were wandering over from the opposite direction, but Sadie took Lauren by the hand and encouraged her toward the stage.

“Thor,” Loki murmured, nodding toward Benny. He flicked his fingers and held out a large basket. “For the others.”

His brother nodded and encouraged Benny toward the team, taking the offering from Loki. “Come, young Ben. Let us feed our bellies.”

Loki wandered after Sadie and Lauren, letting the fluctuating emotions wash through him. Her anxiety was returning, causing her to twist her fingers together. When he lost sight of her as they disappeared behind the stage, Loki increased his pace. Then, anxiety shifted into surprise when he heard her voice rise in greeting.

A few seconds later, he rounded the corner to find Sadie waiting for him. “Lauren said you have her basket?”

He looked past her to the tall, dark-skinned man she was standing with. The one who reached out and took her hand in his. Who smiled like he’d finally seen the sun. Who stepped closer, brought their joined hands to his chest, made her uncomfortable.

“Sadie dear, who is the man I am about to have to kill?” he asked, voice elderly, the threat implied as a jest.

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Oh, that’s Kipling Scott. He’s in town for the next few days. Marcus invited him, but he only arrived this mornin'. He’s harmless.”

Loki held out Lauren’s basket. “How fortuitous,” he growled and slipped his hands into his pockets as he stalked forward to purr quietly, “Lauren, my heart. Who is your... _friend_?”

“Loki.” She smiled brightly and detached her hand from Scott’s. “This is Kipling Scott. I was just explainin’ about his farm and how we’d be seein’ to the necessary repairs.”

“And as I was sayin’, I’d be happy to sit down and discuss the details over dinner.” The man sent him a passing glance before returning his hungry eyes to Lauren.

“That will not be necessary,” Loki smiled stepping into Lauren’s spine with an air of possession, translated into the arm he wrapped around her waist and the kiss he placed on her shoulder. “The damage done by Stark and the Captain to the barn has been repaired.”

“You didn’t tell me that,” Lauren said, her confusion evident.

“I only just fixed it.” Loki shrugged, catching her left hand to bring to his lips. He purposely caught the sun with the stone in her ring and flashed it in the other man’s eyes. “It was such little damage. Not even worth the mentioning. Someone from SHIELD can handle the final details.”

She arched her brow, amusement causing her eyes to sparkle and a knowing grin to flit across her features. “Whatever you say, Loki.”

He pressed a kiss to the center of her palm. “One less thing for you to oversee, love,” Loki smirked at her before slowly returning his attention to the man frowning at the two of them.

“What exactly were the Avengers doin’ on my property, to begin with?”

“I’m afraid that’s an ongoin’ SHIELD matter,” Lauren explained. “We can’t comment and had _someone_ bothered to tell me he was gonna take matters into his own hands, I’d a never brought it up.”

“Well, I’m glad you did,” Kipling stated, smiling again, blatantly ignoring the ring on her finger. “Why don’t you join me for lunch and we can catch up, Lu. It’s been too long.”

“Kipling, we didn’t talk much growin’ up. Whatever would we have to catch up on?” she asked, playing dumb.

Loki turned his face into her hair and hid his smirk. Her amusement in the whole situation was evident in his heart stone.

“Alright,” he smiled through gritted teeth. “I’ll give you that, but it’s clear neither of us is what we were when last we were in Greensville. I’d love to know how you ended up with the Avengers. Being in New York a good chunk of the year, it would be nice to have a familiar face to have dinner with once in a while.”

Lauren smiled but it was without warmth. “I’m afraid I’ll have to decline. I’ve got a basket up for auction today, and I’ve recently taken on a new role and will be leavin’ the country for some time.”

Irritation filled his eyes. “When you get back then?”

His persistence pissed Loki off. “I’m afraid I will be keeping my _fiancé_ quite busy for the foreseeable future. Her schedule won’t allow for random dinners with men she barely knows.”

“How… unfortunate,” Kipling said, stiffening his spine. “It must be real tirin’ to be so insecure about your relationship you have to keep her away from other men all the time.”

“Kipling!” Lauren gasped.

“Well, bless your heart,” Loki sneered. “At least I do not need to prove my prowess by trying to entice another man’s woman.” When Kipling moved, Loki was already in motion, sliding his body in front of Lauren’s, winding up nose to nose with the man. “You are aggravating forces you know nothing about,” he warned.

“I know exactly who you are, _butcher_ of New York,” Kipling hissed. “You act the hero, but you ain’t nothin’ but a monster and a murderer.”

“Mr. Scott,” Lauren snarled and stepped out from behind Loki - to his annoyance - to push Kipling back by his shoulder. “Y’all can go right to hell! Walk away, Scott.”

“You’re better than him, Lauren,” he snapped.

Such rage burned in her, Loki was quick to wrap his arm around her waist to keep her from lunging at the man.

“You should be thankful I can’t make weapons appear outta nothin’ or I’d already have a blade stuck to your throat for sayin’ such things about Loki! You don’t know shit!”

“Lauren, enough,” Loki soothed.

“He’s a good man,” she hissed, glaring at Scott. “Unlike some people who are bein’ complete asshats.”

“Hoity bitch,” Scott snapped.

Loki snarled, but it was the voice resonating behind him which caused Scott to flinch. “Kipling Scott! What would your mama say if she was to hear you speakin’ to a lady like that?”

Lauren peeked around him and grinned broadly. “Gran!”

“Hello, darlin’.” She held out her arms. “Give us some sugar now.” Lauren brushed past Kipling to go give her gran a hug. “Now, do I need an explanation as to why Kip is usin’ such language and aimin’ it toward my granddaughter, or are y’all goin’ to behave like gentlemen?”

Loki glided around the man and lifted Ellie’s hand to his chest. “I assure you, fair Ellie, I am always on my best behaviour.”

She looked at him and muttered, “Mm-hmm. I highly doubt that. Don’t you be slinkin’ away like a kicked dog, Kip. You owe Lauren an apology, and I’m waitin’ to hear it.”

“I beg your pardon, Lauren, for callin’ you that name, but I stand by my assessment of your... _fiancé_.”

“Walk away.” 

Loki glanced behind him to find Steve and Bucky standing at his back, arms crossed and glaring at Scott.

Scott’s eyes widened, but his jaw only tightened. “How can you work with him after what he did? He’s a murderer, and nothin’ can change that truth.”

Bucky ground his teeth together. The plates in his arm started to shift, but it was Steve who stepped forward, placed his hand on Loki’s shoulder and stepped between him and Scott. “You talk a big game for a guy who doesn’t know anything. Loki and what he did is none of your business. Everyone is deserving of a second chance if they are trying to make amends. He’s done far more good than evil. I should know. I was there. I’ve fought with him and against him. If anyone has a right to say who and what he is, it would be me not some nobody in an ill-fitting suit who gets off on intimidating women.” He stood tall, loose, and ready, balanced on the balls of his feet. “Walk. Away.”

Not many people could stand against him when the Captain used that voice and Kipling Scott was no exception. He clenched his fists, turned on his heel, and marched off seething.

“Well, that was excitin’!” Ellie clapped her hands together and walked over to reach out and squeeze Steve’s bicep. “My, you’re a _big_ fella!”

Steve blushed, Lauren and Bucky burst out laughing, and Ellie giggled like a girl when the tension broke.

The elder woman turned to Loki and held out her hand which he took without hesitation and stepped closer. She patted his cheek and smiled. “You’re a good boy.”

It was like the weight which had settled with Scott’s accusations fell from his shoulders. “Only when I wish to be, sweet Ellie,” he teased, fight the burn behind his eyes.

She patted his cheek a little harder. “Mr. Mischief. You gonna win my girl’s basket?”

“Of course,” he grinned and hooked Ellie’s arm through his. “It would be unforgivable if I let my bonded _Ástvinur_ go to another.”

“Good.” She smirked at Lauren, her eyes darting down to the torque around Lauren’s throat. “Well, child?”

“Oh!” Lauren flushed and made quick introductions.

“Ma’am,” Steve and Bucky said together.

“So this one is James?” Ellie asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” Bucky smiled the two of them already caught up by Ellie’s personality.

She poked a finger into the arm of silver plates. “Fascinatin’. You rust like the tin man?”

Bucky burst out into another round of laughter. “No, ma’am. Can’t say I’ve ever rusted.”

“Where, pray tell, is your houseguest, Ellie dear?” Loki asked. The boy was meant to look after her, not leave her to wander on her own.

“I sent the boy to get me a sweet tea. Stop fussin’.” She waved her hand at him.

“Ah. And did you by chance, explain the currency of this world to him?”

“Of course. You take me for a ninny?” She huffed at him and deserted his arm to link hers through Lauren’s. “He thinks me a feeble old woman who needs lookin’ after.”

“Gran,” Lauren sighed.

“Lucky for him I have a soft spot for young, hard workin’ boys who need a home.”

“That describes nearly every one of our teammates at some point in time,” Bucky chuckled, giving Steve a nudge with his elbow.

“Well, then. I guess there will always be room at my table for you boys.” Ellie grinned.

Loki watched her conquer two more hearts with very little effort.

“Lu!” Sadie called. “We’re gettin’ started soon. “Y’all should go get a good seat. Hey, Gran!” She hurried over to buss the old woman a kiss on her paper-thin cheek. “How you doin’?”

“As good as ever, Sadie June. I got a donation for you like always.”

“No basket, Ellie?” Loki teased.

She waved a hand at him. “Shush, you. No one would want to buy this old woman’s company.”

“Considering I’ve eaten your cooking, darling, I can guarantee I would.”

She blushed and giggled. “You just make sure you take care of our girl.” The way she said it, Loki knew she was well aware of how much Lauren didn’t want to be on that stage.

“Never fear, Ellie. Lauren is in good hands,” Loki assured her.

There was little he would not pay to keep her from the clutches of another.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: none

 

* * *

Lauren twisted her fingers together, her stomach a mess of churning acid kicked up by the wings of the butterflies dancing in her belly. She hated being on stage. It brought back memories of pageants and recitals when she hadn’t won or been good enough. When her mother’s presence had caused her fingers to fumble or her feet to trip.

Sweat broke out along her spine. Nausea took over for the butterflies, and she wondered if she’d be sick when the presence at her back, cool like an ocean breeze pressed against her. She could see Loki just past the curtain, green bright and shining in his eyes as the spectre behind her wrapped her in arms of air.

He’d returned her phantom lover to her to offer comfort while he had to be down there in the overly large crowd, and it made her smile, his constant care and attentiveness.

Bucky stood on one side of him, Steve to the other. Thor had collected her grandmother and the boy Lauren had yet to meet and taken them away to sit with Pepper and Tony. Even now she could hear the peels of laughter from her grandmother as they floated to her from across the lawn. Evidently, Ellie was having a great time. Unlike Lauren.

She closed her eyes, leaned into the cold embrace, and breathed out the anxiety. Soon it would be all over. She could get off this stage and stop feeling like some prize pumpkin everyone had come to gawk at.

“Lu?”

She opened her eyes and offered Sadie a wan smile. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry to put you through this.” The brunette bit her lip. “It’s just… what with your friends and all, the opportunity was too good to pass up and…”

Worry coated the woman’s face, and Lauren swiftly reached for her hands. “It’s okay, Sadie. I understand.”

She squeezed Lauren’s fingers. “I know how much you hate this. You’re first. Loki made me promise.”

Lauren threw a glance his way and offered him a sweet smile. “He’s always lookin’ out for me.”

“That man adores you. It would be sickenin’ if it weren’t so sweet,” Sadie teased before giving her a final squeeze and hurrying away.

A gaggle of giggling women tramped their way up the stairs at the back of the stage, drawing Lauren’s attention. Most looked at her curiously, likely wondering what twist of fate had thrust her into the company of people like the Avengers. When three of them broke from the others to saunter their way over, Lauren did her best to retain her sigh of resignation.

“Lauren,” Lisset simpered in her high, childlike voice.

Lauren pasted on a smile. “Barb. Missy. Lisset. How nice to see you again.”

The three women had been a clique for as long as Lauren had known them. While Marabeth and her group of cronies had been the Queen bee and her court, her sister had been older than Lauren by a few years. Lisset and her entourage were the same age as Lauren, and when Marabeth had left the school, these three were quick to take over as the big dogs in their small playground.

Lisset had been the quintessential cheerleader; team Captain of course. She’d dated the Quarterback, Tommy Diffler, married him shortly after they’d graduated, had his three children, and when she found him with his secretary bent over his desk, she’d taken him for everything he was worth in the divorce and now lived in his house… without him.  

Year after year Lisset’s basket had been the biggest draw of the fair. Everyone raved over her famous Cherry Jubilee Pie, and the bidding was often fierce for the “honour” of picnicking with the PTA princess. Add in the fact she was ridiculously beautiful, had legs for days, and was lusted after by every male with a pulse between the ages of twelve and a hundred, and Lauren used to feel frumpy just being in the same room.

Today, however, the pinched look on her face said Lisset was well aware of just what was about to occur. For the first time in years, she was not the main attraction.

“How are your little ones?” Lauren asked politely.

“Not so little anymore.” She smiled sharply. “Still single?”

“Engaged, actually, but I’m sure y’all already know that seein’ as how the Mayor made such a fuss this mornin’.” Unlike with her sister, Lauren had never had an issue standing up to Lisset and her crew of hags.

“Right,” Barb chimed in, her smile mean. “To the one who destroyed half of New York.”

Lauren turned her head and gave the woman the smile she’d picked up from Loki. “Barb, sweety. You’re gonna want to be real careful what y’all say about a Prince of Asgard and an Avenger. Kipling Scott already got an earful from Captain Rogers. And Quinn found out just how fast Thor will come to his defence only yesterday.”

To Lauren’s surprise, Missy stepped forward, her smile far kinder than either of her friends. “You look so good, Lauren. New York seems to agree with you.”

“Thanks, Missy.” She smiled and took the woman’s offered hand. “I do love the city.”

“My that is quite the necklace,” Missy continued as Lisset and Barb looked on. “A gift from your beau, no doubt.”

The pinched lips of Lisset made Lauren grin a little wider. “He does have a tendency to spoil me. Asgardians are anythin’ but subtle.”

A microphone crackled in the background, announcing the start of Sadie’s auction.

“Good luck today, Lauren,” Missy said as she turned away. “I hope you have a pleasant lunch.”

“Yes. It would be a shame if your… _fiancé_ couldn’t claim your basket,” Lisset muttered as she walked away. “C’mon, Missy!”

“She’s a bit put out, knowin’ it’s you everyone’s here for. You’re gonna make Sadie quite some money,” Missy whispered, gave a wink, and hurried off, the skirt of her pink dress flicking around her calves. 

Watching them go, Lauren felt the phantom arms tighten ever so gently and glanced toward Loki. He arched a brow curiously.

“Maybe one of the three actually grew up some since high school,” Lauren murmured, knowing he would hear her. 

A mischievous smirk curled his lips.

“Just what are y’all up to?” she asked him, but he only gave a minute shrug.

Sadie’s voice kept her from asking any more questions of the god with the superpowered hearing. “Hey, y’all! How’s everyone enjoyin’ this here fine Fourth so far?” Loud cheering erupted and made Sadie giggle.

It made the butterflies in Lauren’s belly return with a vengeance.

“That’s so great! I want to thank y’all for comin’ out to support our foundation. We all know it’s been a tough few years for folk, but your continued generosity and support is appreciated.” More cheering and polite applause sounded, and Sadie dropped a little curtsey. “Too kind, all of y’all.” She waited for the noise to die down before beginning again. “Now, I know most of you are here for a reason other than supportin’ the foundation what with the Avengers in town!” Her voice was drowned out for the fourth time, and she held up her hand for silence. “Had I known a might earlier, I would have done my best to get a couple of these fine gentlemen up on stage. Or perhaps Miss Romanoff or Miss Potts, but as it is, I was able to stron’ arm my very best friend into helpin’ out. While I can’t guarantee y’all will get a chance to eat with one of her friends, I can at the very least give y’all an opportunity to try. With our first basket up for auction, Lauren Annandale!”

Sadie turned her way with an outstretched hand, and Lauren forced her legs to work, taking her out of the phantom arms as she forced a smile. Walking toward the woman was an act of will, and when Marcus appeared with her basket, she gratefully accepted his arm.

“I know how hard this is for you, Lu. You’re a saint for givin’ into Sadie, and I’m sorry about Kip,” Marcus whispered in her ear.

“S’okay. Just let me cling, and we’ll call it even,” she whispered back.

“Most of y’all don’t know it, but our Lauren is quite the fine cook, ain’t that right, Lu?” Sadie asked, grinning at her.

Lauren blushed. “If you say so, Sadie.”

“I say so!” shouted Bucky, making the people nearest him chuckle.

“Shush your yap, James,” Lauren grumbled, causing more laughter to erupt.

Sadie was practically bursting with excitement at how things were ramping up, Lauren could see it in the gleam of her eyes. “So, Lu? What’s on offer for these fine folk?”

Lauren forced her smile not to waver and leaned towards the mic. “The usual picnic fare. Fried chicken, potato salad, a few finger foods, a Hummin’bird Cake for dessert, and Loki was kind enough to include a fine bottle of Asgardian wine.”

That caused a stir to ripple through the crowd. Lauren took note of Kipling standing at the opposite corner of the stage, away from Loki. Bill Dalton lurked with Maryann closer to the middle. The Mayor was off to the side, and a few other people she could just tell were itching for the bidding to start scattered throughout the crowd. 

But when she looked at Loki, he remained relaxed, confident, and composed, waiting only a few feet away. His eyes held a wealth of appreciation and understanding, helping her retain her nerves for these next few minutes.

“Ooh! Sounds _de_ licious!” Sadie giggled and turned back to the crowd. “Don’t it folks? Who’s got an openin’ bid for me? Remember now, it’s for a terrific cause! So if you can open those wallets, open ‘em wide!”

“Three hundred dollars.”

Lauren tried not to blanch when Bill Dalton got things underway.

“Four.”

Jasper Rubin. It didn’t surprise her, but it wasn’t welcome.

“Five!” shouted the Mayor.

“Six!”

“Seven!”

“Seven fifty!”

“Eight!”

The bidding went so fast, Lauren was hard pressed to keep up.

“Oh, come on!” Tony shouted from the back of the crowd. “I’ve had Asgardian wine. Make it worth her while, people. Five thousand dollars!”

Lauren grabbed hold of Sadie’s mic. “Tony Stark! Sit your behind down!”

Everyone laughed when Tony pouted.

“We’ve got five thousand, do I hear another bid?” Sadie called out once she stopped laughing.

“Ten thousand.”

Everyone gasped and looked at Kipling. This time, Lauren knew she’d gone white. What the hell was he playing at? Hard eyes and a face which gave nothing away stared back at her.

“Fifteen thousand.”

Her head snapped around to stare wide-eyed at Davis Montgomery. Where the hell had he come from?

“Twenty thousand!” Tony barked.

“Anthony Stark! I will so quit!” Lauren yelled without the microphone.

“No you won’t!” he bellowed his grin wide.

“Twenty-five thousand!” Kipling barked.

He was going to get himself killed. Already Bucky and Steve were eyeing him like a bug needing to be squashed. And if they didn’t squash him, Loki would. The flash of sharp green from behind his narrowed eyes was full of annoyance.

“Thirty!” Bill Dalton cried, earning a sharp smack from his wife.

“Y’all never paid that kind of money for one of my baskets!” Maryann shrieked.

“Thirty-five thousand,” Davis groundout.

Spots danced in Lauren’s vision. This was getting out of hand. The most anyone had ever sold a basket for was five thousand dollars. Thirty-five thousand was outrageous!

“Forty thousand,” Kipling countered.

Lauren had no idea what he was playing at. What could he possibly want from her that he was willing to face not only Loki’s wrath but the entire team’s anger?

“Fifty thousand.”

“Bucky!” she gasped. Her neck cracked when she whipped her head down to glare at the smirking face.

“What?” He shrugged. “Not like I need it, doll. Might as well put it to good use.”

Before she could scold him for spending his money on something so frivolous as a picnic basket worth at most thirty dollars, the voice she’d been waiting for rippled cool and calm over the crowd.

“Five hundred thousand dollars.”

Lauren damn near choked on air she inhaled so hard.

***

As she looked about to faint, Loki made his way to the front of the stage where he walked casually up the stairs to take his love from the arm of Marcus, while Lauren stared at him in horror. “Breathe, pet,” he whispered against her cheek,  pressing a kiss there, staking his claim. “And before someone can be foolish enough to counter my offer,” he cast a warning glare toward Scott and the rest of the bidders, “I shall sweeten the deal, Sadie dear.”

“Oh? Do tell?”

The woman appeared fit to burst she was so excited. “Just what price would you put on my assistance with your… Haunted House?”

Sadie’s jaw dropped, as did her husbands. “That would be… it would… _priceless_!” she finally gasped.

“Consider it included.”

“Sold!” Marcus barked, handing over the basket.

“Excellent. The funds will be transferred once I have your information.” He gave the pair of them a nod as he led Lauren from the stage with nothing but shocked faces all around. “Shall we dine with your Gran, darling?” he asked, heading that way when Lauren’s voice remained absent.

As he led her through the sea of people parting before him, Barnes fell in on one side, Rogers the other, and he assisted his evidently mute wife to a space beneath the trees where her gleeful Gran sat.

“You… you… you…” Lauren stuttered.

“Yes, dear?” he chuckled as he magicked a blanket and seated her on it. Behind them, Sadie had regained her faculties enough to call up the next basket for auction and continue on, her voice and that of the crowd becoming a pleasing drone.

Lauren slapped weakly at his chest, her knees buckled, and he lowered her to sit beside her Gran. “Why would you… that was too much… how could you spend… _what the hell, Loki_!?” she finally barked when her senses returned. She closed her hands in his shirt and jerked him down until they were nose to nose. “Why would you ever spend that kind of money on me!?”

“Darling,” he growled, biting her tempting pout. “I would spend ten times that amount if it were necessary.”

“But… all your money on somethin’ so trivial?”

His brow arched with his amusement. “Oh, my heart. That is hardly _all_ my money. Your Earthly currency had been accumulating nicely since I diversified my stock portfolio.”

“Huh?” She blinked up at him.

“You didn’t think all I did was watch daytime television, did you?” he grinned.

Her head fell to his shoulder, and a loud groan could be heard by all.

Chuckling, Loki settled at her side and drew the bottle of wine from the basket. Pepper’s smirk when she caught his eye was wicked, but he only smiled back. She had been the one to pique his interest in certain things and then assist him in his choices when he’d asked her opinion.

“Have a drink, love. You’ll feel better,” he offered, removing the cork from the bottle and pouring her a glass.

“While not the battles we are used to, brother, this was certainly an entertaining one,” Thor snickered.

“What the heck were you thinkin’, Tony? Jumpin’ the bid to five thousand?”Lauren huffed.

Stark rolled his eyes. “Oh, please! I was just weeding out the competition for the horned wonder.”

“Besides,” chuckled Ellie, her eyes full of laughter. “It all goes to a worthy cause. Spread the wealth! Live a little. Your youn’ man kept his word, and here you sit. Stop fussin’ at him, child!”

Lauren shook her head and began pulling containers from within the basket, adding them to the ones already set out. “I know it was a good cause, but still. Half a million dollars!”

Loki wrapped his fingers around the back of Lauren’s neck and drew her toward him. “Like I said, my love. I would have paid ten times as much. More even, to have you.”

Big jade eyes stared up at him, disbelief still filling their depths. “Foolish, but I’m sure Sadie will appreciate it.”

Loki frowned and cupped her cheek when she tried to pull away. Aware of the audience they had, he ignored each and every one to hold her close, lay a tender kiss upon her lips, and murmur, “There is nothing I would not give to have you with me. Little I would not sacrifice to keep you there. And no one would ever stop me from coming for you.”

“Loki,” she sighed and melted into him.

“You are worth every penny, every dime, and every ounce of gold in Asgard to me,” he whispered, nuzzling against her cheek.

“Stop with the sap, already,” Stark grumbled, but he was grinning when Loki looked up to find them all smirking at them in some way, shape, or form.  

“Shall we eat?” Loki asked, by way of a subject change and watched them all dig in.        

No one mentioned the other bidders, nor whatever Kipling Scott and Davis Montgomery had been up to trying to win Lauren’s basket.

***

Hours later, when the day was growing languid in the heat of the hot July sun, Loki again found himself settled beneath the branches of a stately Ash tree. Lauren was curled against his chest, Benny his thigh, and Sara was wedged in what little space remained between his hip and Lauren’s, while Usun sprawled on his side at Loki’s feet.

Both children were fast asleep. Lauren had dozed off a while ago. His Frost Giant nature a boon for once when the heat had made the children cranky. Now, everyone was napping after the excitement of the day.

More games had been played and won. Stark had excelled at the darts game where he destroyed balloons to win the lovely Pepper a smart green toad in a top hat.

Natasha had sauntered up to a man who swore he could guess anyone's weight, but when he’d leered at the redhead, she’d turned around and pointed at Bucky. The sergeant, currently wearing a shirt with long sleeves and a glove on his left hand, had crossed his arms and smirked at the man. The owner of the game had gaped for a moment but shrugged and given an answer which, had Bucky been an ordinary man, would have been relatively close. However, given his supersoldier nature, the excessive amount of muscle he carried, and the vibranium arm, and the man was so far off, Natasha had her pick of whichever animal she wished.

A purple hippo had joined Sara’s pony in the little girl’s arms.

Then, Thor had taken it upon himself to try his hand at the strongman contest. A hammer against a lever to raise a stone and ring a bell. Lauren had been the one to grab Thor’s arm when the hammer he’d tried to use was Mjolnir. He’d won rather soundly, nearly breaking the game anyway, adding a black and white puppy to Benny’s substantial menagerie.

The town had tried to coerce the Captain into judging the Miss Greenville contest, but he had declined, stating it was against policy for him to be involved in such things. Natasha had quietly coughed _bullshit,_ but no one had noticed besides Loki who’d thrown her a small smirk.

The others had wandered off to find drinks and snacks, the lovely Ellie and young Svengil choosing to return to her home as she was _plum tuckered out_ , but the children who were also tired and overly hot had been moments away from a full meltdown when Lauren had looked at him with eyes full of pleading. He’d swept Benny up in one arm, Sara the other, and headed off to find a worthwhile place to rest.

Both children had burrowed closer when the coolness of his body had registered, Sara going so far as to giggle and bury her face in his neck. He magicked a quick blanket, a few pillows, and settled the bunch of them quickly. Lauren had dropped down with them with a relieved sigh and a little shudder when she came in contact with his cold skin as well.

She’d murmured something about the barbeque and dance starting up in an hour or so, and how she’d just shut her eyes for a moment. A moment which had now lasted long enough for each of the team to wander by and smirk at him.

Currently, Thor was crouched down grinning at him and scratching Usun’s belly.  “Natalia is threatening to post the image she took of “Loki’s little family” on the Instagram thing. Whatever that means.”

Loki rolled his eyes and stroked Lauren’s hand, resting on his chest while threading the fingers of his opposite hand through Benny’s hair. “Like it matters.”

Thor settled to his hip, then sprawled out in the grass. “Perhaps she should.”

“And why do you think that?”

“Maybe it is time the world sees a different side of you. The side of you I remember growing up.”

Arching a brow, Loki gave him a condescending glare. “Because that would change popular opinion so drastically.”

Thor shrugged. “You never know. A softer side of the God of Mischief? It might go a long way.”

“You are mistaken.” It was highly unlikely anyone’s opinion of him would be adjusted due to a photograph of him with Lauren and the children. It may, in fact, only cause unrest among the people. The... _butcher_ of New York living a happy life when so many others... weren’t.

“I don’t know. You make a rather adorable family.” Thor grinned broadly. “Let me know when I can bless the mother-to-be.”

“The mother-to-be is in no rush. Neither am I,” Loki huffed, rubbing the silky strands of Benny’s hair.

“You could have fooled me.”

His hand stilled in Benny’s hair as he lifted his eyes to Thor’s. “I will admit to finding this… ready-made family… pleasing.”

Thor huffed out a chuckle. “You can dance around the truth all you like, but I know you, brother. God of Mischief, God of Lies. What about the God of Revelry? Or has that part of you disappeared over these last harsh years?”

“You know nothing,” Loki scoffed.

“I remember well the man who used to invent games for the children who followed him in the streets. Or who sat and told tales of adventure and wicked imagination.”

“I seem to recall you and the others mocking me for my foolishness.”

Thor’s amusement vanished. “I was young, brother, and quite foolish myself. I did you a disservice all those years ago. My view of things was narrow and nearsighted. I was wrong. Our differences are what makes us unique, strong, and the Gods we are meant to be for our people. I was blind to this, and I am sorry for it.”

“Not all of us are built to be Odin,” Loki murmured.

“No. Not even I am built to be Odin,” Thor agreed.

Nodding slowly, Loki tilted his head to rub his cheek gently on Lauren’s hair. “One day, brother, I shall bring you such news, and you can extend your blessing if Lauren agrees.”

“And why wouldn’t she?” he sputtered.

“For one, you most vigorously kissed her best friend in front of her husband!”

“Bah! How else am I to bless such a gorgeous woman?” Thor smirked.

Loki scowled. “You may keep your lips to yourself when it comes to my wife, Thor.”

“So territorial. It has only been a day.”

“A day millennium in the making. Do not make me stab you, brother. I will. King of Asgard or not.”

“What are y’all fightin’ about now?” Lauren sighed, her lashes fluttering open as she lifted her head from his chest.

“Nothing important, my sweet. Thor is simply being obstinate. As per usual.”

“Your husband is most territorial,” Thor grumbled.

Lauren’s smile was full but sleepy yet when she turned it on Thor. “He is, isn’t he?”

Musicians began to tune their instruments not far away. Setting up on the stage Lauren had walked a few hours ago and drew her attention.

“Looks like things are gettin’ started,” Lauren said, sitting up to have a look around. A smile nearly bigger than she was split her lips when she caught sight of someone through the crowd. “Oh! He did it!”

Loki looked away and chuckled, finding the weathered visage of Teddy leading an equally weathered woman - the Miss Swan of his past conversation with Lauren - around on his arm. “It appears he took your advice, darling.”

“Good. Those two have been dancin’ around each other for as long as I can remember,” Lauren snickered. “And you, Thor? You ready to eat some of the best barbeque you’ve ever tasted?”

“Little sister, I am always ready to eat,” Thor chuckled.

She opened her mouth to say more, only to have all the blood rush from her face. “What…?”

Across the way, Loki spied the smug visage of Marabeth striding toward them, but it was Agent Hill who walked along at her side which caused a tremor of concern to skate Loki’s spine. Marabeth looked far too pleased with herself, and it gave him pause.

The children stirred, waking in time to witness the arrival of their mother. “Get up. We’re leavin’.”

“Mama?” whispered Sara.

“Maria?” Lauren asked Agent Hill in confusion.

“I’m sorry, Lauren. Samuel Avirett has turned state’s evidence. He’s willing to testify in the case against the Bianci’s. He and his entire family have to be put in witness protection.”

Maria’s face was pinched hard, and Loki could tell she was not at all pleased by this turn of events.

“Yes, Lauren. Thanks to you and your meddlin’, Samuel is now goin’ to be a wanted man, and after I was _finally_ told about what almost happened to my children last night, it was for our own good and protection we go into hiddin’. Which means no contact with our family until after the trial. It could be years until that happens.”

Horror filled her, Loki could feel it crawl through his veins like acid, and Lauren whimpered, “You’re takin’ the babies?”

“Oh, for Christ sake, Lauren! They ain’t babies and their not yours to cry over!” She reached for Benny only to have Usun snap at her. “And you can keep that filthy mongrel!”

“No!” Benny cried, lunging to wrap his arms around Usun. “He’s mine, mama! He’s mine!”

“Agent Hill,” Thor got swiftly to his feet, followed only slightly slower by Loki as he helped Lauren to hers. “The hound is the children’s protector. Surely SHIELD can make concessions for his inclusion.”

“Of course they can,” Maria agreed without a qualm.

“I don’t want him!” Marabeth shrilled.

“Too bad,” Loki snarled, causing her to take a step back. “The hound has been gifted. He cannot be returned. No one will lay a finger on the children as long as he lives!”

“Please,” Lauren whispered, staring at her sister. “Please don’t take them away!”

Marabeth smiled, and it was nasty. “Can’t be helped. The Bianci’s will use them against Samuel if they can. What? You expect me to abandon my children? What kind of mother do you think I am, Lauren?”

“Maria?” Lauren turned her focus back to Fury’s right-hand woman.

Hill only shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lauren. Once Avirett offered to testify… it was out of my hands.”

“You have them all in custody?” Loki snapped, and Hill nodded. “Then what is the point? Jail them! Let this be done. Is not there enough evidence to see this finished without Avirett’s testimony?”

“Clearly, you know little of our judicial system,” Marabeth sneered.

“I will follow through on my promise, woman!” Loki hissed, stepping forward. “Leave the children with us. Lauren can see to them, and I can protect them. No one could do a better job.”

Marabeth gasped and brought a hand to her chest. “How dare you, sir! Insinuatin’ I would leave my children behind in the arms of some… _stranger_?”

Tears had begun to roll down Lauren’s cheeks. “Since when am I a stranger? Please, Marabeth! They’ll be safe and happy!”

She reached out to her sister who slapped her hands away. “No! They go with us. Their _actual_ parents.”

“Why are you doin’ this?” Lauren pleaded, both children clinging to her legs.

“Because,” Marabeth sneered. “I can.”

Loki saw red, but a small hand slipped into his, and he looked down to find Sara staring up at him in fear. “Oh, my precious dove.” Kneeling swiftly, he scooped her up and held her tightly to him.

“You promised!” she whispered. “You promised you’d never go away!”

“I’m not, precious. I won’t.”

“Come along, Sara! We have to pack your things and be gone.” Marabeth snapped out her hand.

He was a moment away from spiriting the children to Asgard when Lauren’s hand came down on his shoulder. Her eyes pleaded with him to hold his temper, to keep calm while she did her best to hold herself together.

“It’s… it’s okay, peaches.” She knelt down with him and drew Benny in. “You two have to go on a little trip with the nice people from SHIELD, but you’ll be safe with Usun.” Lauren was hanging on by a thread, but she pasted on a smile and cupped Sara’s cheeks when the girl sobbed. “Now, now, sugar cube. None of that. It’s only for a little while.” She turned to Benny and hugged the little boy to her when he broke down in tears.

“Sara, darling,” Loki whispered, keeping his voice purposefully soft so it remained only between them and brushed her hair from her face. “I need you to listen to me, little dove.”

She nodded, her ocean eyes drowning in tears.

“I’m going to give you something very special. It is just for you, and you must never take it off. Do you promise?”

“Yes… Loki.”

“Excellent,” he rushed, knowing the heinous woman could snatch them away at any moment. He produced the pendant out of thin air, much like he had Lauren’s, and placed it around her neck. Small and discrete, the green stone was wrapped by a golden serpent and hung on a delicate but unbreakable chain. “This is a special necklace. If you are ever scared, you wrap your fist around it and call to me. I will come for you wherever you are. Do you understand?”

She nodded solemnly. “You promise?”

“With everything I am, darling, but this is for emergencies only, my little dove. For dire times. It must not be used on a whim, alright?” he cautioned. She was brilliant little Sara, and he trusted her to use it wisely.

“I love you, Loki,” she whispered, breaking his heart as she threw her arms around his neck.

Rising with her, he handed the new stuffed toys to Hill. “Do not endanger these children, Maria.”

“We’ll keep them safe, Loki,” she managed to say after finding her voice, his actions counter to what people knew of him. “I promise.”

“You’d better.” There was no room for error in his voice.

The impatience of Marabeth was growing, evident in the tapping foot and crossed arms. “We haven’t got forever!” she huffed.

“We have as long as I say!” Maria barked, glaring at Marabeth.

Placing a kiss on Sara’s hair, he set her down and Lauren swept her up. Benny looked up at him, and Loki picked him up to hold close and whispered in his ear. “You look after your sister and trust Usun. He’ll protect you both.”

“I will,” the boy whispered back, tears dripping off his chin.

“It won’t be forever,” Loki promised. “You’re a good boy, Benny. Don’t ever think otherwise.”

“Do we have to go?” he whispered, tearing a hole in Loki’s heart he wasn’t sure would ever heal.

“I’m afraid so, young Ben.” He hugged the boy a little tighter, then handed him to Hill before he changed his mind and simply took them both. It would be exceptionally hard to convince people he hadn’t kidnapped two young children if there were witnesses.

“I’ll miss you,” Sara whispered, burying her fingers in Usun’s coat.

“We ain’t takin’ that dog, Sara!” Marabeth barked.

“Yes, we are,” Maria stated.

“It would not matter if you left him behind. He is a _dyrehund_. He could find them across oceans if such was required. He is their guardian from all who would harm them. You can not get rid of him so accept it, woman!” Thor bellowed, clearly having had enough. “Agent Hill. Usun will require fresh meat. I trust whatever agents you will have guarding this family will see to his proper nutrition as well?”

“I will make sure they know, Thor.” Maria nodded. “Lauren…”

Lauren only turned her face into Loki’s shoulder.

“Just go,” Loki murmured, wrapping his arms around his destroyed wife.

Maria carried Benny away, Sara sticking to her side as far from Marabeth as possible. Marabeth threw a triumphant smirk over her shoulder, Lauren’s pain all she could hope for.

He’d never wanted to kill someone so badly in his entire life.

Only once the children were away did Lauren let the heart-rending sob explode from her throat. Her knees gave out and she collapsed into Loki’s chest.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Angst

 

* * *

The heart-rending sob became a gasp for breath as Lauren clung to him, her hands clenched into fistfuls of his shirt. Loki had heard her cry for her lost childhood, for the pain caused by her family, and the grief of her mother’s treachery, but never before had he heard her cry like this. Like her heart had been torn out and stomped on.

“They're gone!” she sobbed. “They're gone! I barely got to say goodbye!”

“Shhh, darling. It will be alright.” He did his best to calm her while Thor stepped closer and laid a big hand on Lauren’s back.

“It won’t be forever, little sister,” Thor murmured, using his broad frame to hide them from the few eyes which had been drawn with her first hard wail.

“How… will… I… know… they’re… okay?” she spoke between each ragged inhalation, her words broken by choked sobs. “What if they… need me?” Her eyes went wild. “What if she... hurts them?”

Loki brought his hands up to cup her face, holding it still so he could look deeply into her eyes. “My love, I will know. I have given Sara a way to reach out to me if she needs to, and I do not care what your sister has said. We will receive updates on your family. We will see the children. Someway, somehow. If I must go to Fury myself, I will not allow them to keep you from Benny and Sara.”

“But what if-”

He pressed his thumb to her lips and hushed her softly. “I will not entertain _what if’s_. I have decreed it. On my honour as a God of Asgard, you will see the children again.” Even if he had to spirit them away from Earth to do so.

Her eyes closed and pain washed over her features. “It’s just… they took them… so fast.”

Fresh tears poured down her cheeks, and Loki brushed at them, desperate to stop the flow. “It will be alright, my love. They are under SHIELD’s protection. There will be people around to keep an eye on things. We will make certain Maria is aware of Marabeth’s propensity for violence, and if anything goes wrong, we’ll petition to have them removed from her custody. Marabeth would be hard pressed to deny her actions if they are backed by other agents.”

“Would it be horrible of me to wish…” She bit her lip.

“Wish what, love?” he asked, smiling a little as her tears finally slowed.

“Wish we could just snatch them up and run off with them.” Once the words were out, her face fell. “But that’s wrong.”

Loki exchanged a glance with Thor who only shook his head. “It is not a horrible wish, darling. Not at all. It is a wish I, too, have entertained.”

“I feel guilty just speakin’ it,” she sighed. “I can’t believe Marabeth doesn’t have some affection for them. She carried those babies. I’m… just their aunt,” she whispered.

“That doesn’t mean your love is somehow less,” Thor said, rubbing his hand on her back. “You will make a most excellent mother, Lauren. You are fierce in your defence of them. Like a Marok wolf protecting her den. You may not have borne them in your womb, but you cherish them in your heart. You will see them again. If Loki needs assistance in convincing Fury to allow you to visit, I will stand with him.”

“What’s happened? What’s wrong?” Bucky asked, arriving in time to witness Lauren break down in fresh tears.

“That’s… so sweet!” she hiccuped and threw her herself at Thor.

“Oh! Well… I… yes.” Thor hugged her quickly, bending to hold her close. “I dislike seeing you upset, Lauren.”

“They just took them so fast,” she whimpered.

A frantic glance from Thor had Loki reaching out to encourage her back into his arms when she tried to soak his brother’s collar. “Everything will be alright, love. You’ll see.”

“Someone want to explain? Where are the kids?” Bucky asked as the others returned, everyone frowning to see Lauren so upset.

“Agent Hill arrived with Lauren’s sister. Avirett has agreed to testify against his employer. They have taken the family into witness protection, spiriting the children out from under Lauren’s care with barely enough time to say goodbye. Marabeth took great pleasure in informing us of how we would have no contact with the children until after the trial,” Loki said, hitting the high points.

“What!” Stark bellowed. “Who the hell’s stupid idea was that?” Before anyone could answer him, he was walking away, bringing his phone to his ear.

“See?” Loki murmured, gently stroking the tears from Lauren’s cheek. “All shall be made well, but it may take time to right this wrong, beloved. Perhaps our trip to Asgard should wait?”

She shook her head. “No, I want to go. It’s been, what? A year since you’ve been there?”

“Almost a year since I set foot on Asgard, yes.” And longer since he was welcomed openly. “I admit, I do miss the air.”

“Lauren, we’ll make sure this gets straightened out,” Steve assured her. “You should go. We can always let Heimdall know when we’ve got news for you.”

“Yeah. It’s politics, after all. Red tape bullshit. Could take a bit to cut through it,” Natasha agreed. “Go to Asgard and take your mind off things here for a while.”

Lauren gave a small nod when everyone agreed with Natasha’s assessment. She made to wipe her face with her hand, but Loki handed her a tissue and with a wisp of magic set her to rights. “There, darling. Do you want to stay? Return to the house? What do you prefer?”

“Oh!” She looked at the others and forced a smile. It wobbled but held, even if it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “The town really does put on the best barbeque. It would be a shame if y’all missed it cause I’ve had an upset. We should stay.”

“Are you sure, my heart?” he asked softly, returning his hand to her cheek.

“I…” She cleared her throat. “I don’t want to go back to the house. Mama is goin’ to be beside herself. I can’t… can’t deal with…”

“No, darling. There is no need to explain.” He placed a tender kiss on her mouth. “If you promise to stay with Thor, I’ll return to the house and explain things to your father. We can go on to Asgard tonight once you are ready to leave.”

“Tony can call the helicopter to us, so don’t worry about us getting back home, Lauren,” Pepper spoke up when Lauren hesitated.

He could feel her resistance fading. “And I’ll let Svengil know we are leaving so your Gran doesn’t fret.”

“And you’re… you’re sure you can find Sara and Benny if you need to? Even from Asgard?” she asked, peering up at him with her last bit of concern.

Loki nodded. “I could find them across the nine realms, darling. Never fear.”

The tension went out of her body. “Okay.”

“Alright. Take the others with you. Try to have a little fun, darling. We will fix this. One way or another, we _will_ fix this.”

“I believe you, Loki. I believe you.” She gently smoothed out the creases she'd put in his shirt.

He made to encourage her back toward his brother, but Pepper and Natasha swooped in, each taking an elbow, guiding Lauren toward the lights and music. Pepper had picked up a stream of chatter to keep her distracted, while whatever look Natasha had on her face was keeping everyone else at bay.

Thor followed them closely, but when Bucky and Steve made to as well, he stopped them. “I did not say it earlier as there was not a moment to do so but I… appreciate what you said, Captain when it came to Scott.”

Steve gave him a sharp nod. “I only spoke the truth. One I've been blind to for a while.”

“One we all have been,” Bucky agreed.

Loki sighed and brought his hand to his heart. “There is a sharp ache in my chest. I cannot tell whether this is another warning or only Lauren's grief, but I ask you. Watch over her until I return.”

“You gotta felling?” Bucky asked.

“I… I don't know. There has been an edge to the air all day. I hope that _this_ is the end of it and only Lauren's pain now weighs on me.” Loki looked to where the sun was hanging low above the horizon, sending streaks of red across the sky. “Blood spilled on a snow white background,” he whispered.

“What?” Steve asked.

“I see blood, spilling over a snow white background.” Loki shook his head. “It isn't over.”

Ravens lifted in the trees. The heavy croaking caused his pulse to beat in his ears, a baseline drumming.

“A wolf rises in a storm of ice. Rain soaks the earth. And blood spills across a snow white background. Protect my woman.” He turned his focus to the two men. “Protect her, or blood will spill this night. I will return swiftly, and then she and I are leaving.”

Bucky nodded and rolled his shoulder allowing the plates in his arm to move. “We'll watch her.  You do what you need to.”

Stark returned in that instant with anger written on his face. “Stupid politics! They won’t budge. Said it’s too risky, but wouldn’t tell me why. So… I hacked the system. They didn’t get them all.”

“What?” Loki snarled. “Agent Hill _lied_ to me?”

“She doesn’t know or didn’t. I’ve informed Fury of the misinformation. Someone screwed up. A group of the Bianci’s people are missing, and they just so happen to be the loan shark cousin who’d been shaking down Montgomery Jr. They figured they were small fish in the big pound so when they weren’t where they were expected to be, some jackass decided they could be picked up later.” Stark held up his hand before Loki could explode in outrage. “Yes, this was a SHIELD-sanctioned op, but local authorities were read in last minute, brought in to assist with manpower, and the Attorney General was informed so a case could be compiled and brought forward. It’s turned into a fucking mess. Fury is pissed because the lead attorney now in charge is trying to have Lauren’s family turned over to US Marshalls. He’s stalled them for the moment, but if we lose the Avirett’s to them, it will be nearly impossible to get Lauren in to see the kids.”

“What else?” Loki demanded, watching as Stark’s face closed down.

“It’s not important.”

“You’re lying!” Loki spat.

Tony ground his teeth together. “Marabeth has voiced… concern regarding Lauren being around her children.”

Bucky snorted. “For what? She’s better with those kiddos than their mother!”

Stark had only to look at him for Loki to understand. “For me. Because I am with her. The butcher of New York. The insane one. The one everyone fears.” His reputation proceeded him even now. “She is using my past actions against Lauren.”

“It’s a bullshit claim!” Steve snapped. “There are hundreds of people around who saw you with them today. She can’t get away with this! Especially as she’s the one who’s abusive to those kids!”

Tony shoved his hand through his hair. “Right now, it's just talking. Speculation. Marabeth thinks she’s won and can keep her sister from seeing the kids. It’s what she wants.” He tapped his phone against his palm. “She’s damn good at playing the victim. There is a video of her giving her statement today. I can see what Lauren means about being able to spin things to her advantage. The woman is good. A narcissist and a sociopath but good.”

“So what the hell do we do?” Bucky asked.

“You watch over Lauren until I return. The rest… will work out in time.” Loki waved his hand and opened a portal. “Do not fail in this. You do not want to see what happens if she is injured or taken.” He stepped through the portal to their bedroom and closed it behind him with a snap. Then he stood there for one long moment and tried to steady the shaking happening inside him.

“All my fault,” he whispered, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. But even as Loki said it, he knew if he had the chance to do it all over again he would have done nothing differently. The thought didn’t make him feel any better to be the excuse used to keep Lauren from the children.

The second wave of his hand returned everything to what it once was. Lauren’s childhood bed reappeared as did all her things. She’d asked for nothing, but when he spied the picture upon one shelf of Lauren with Benny and Sara, Loki took it with him, vanishing it along with the luggage they'd barely used.

The house when he left her room was quiet. It was far too still now, almost as if a death pall had befallen the monstrosity of a home. A quick search with his magic showed there were agents on the grounds, likely there for the Annandale's protection, but the children's rooms were silent and empty.

He shifted himself there and took in the rifled state and mess. The book Lauren had read to them, the fuzzy one, was missing as were most of their clothing and a few worn trucks and fancily dressed dolls.

He wondered if that were Maria’s doing as he doubted Marabeth would care enough to take a few of the children's favourite things along.

The pain in his chest grew until it took the legs out from under him and he sat swiftly on Benny’s bed. The lump in the covers had him shifting them back to reveal Benny’s bear.

“No…” They'd left without it. Benny's favourite bear. The boy would be beside himself.

He lifted the stuffed toy up and paid the tear on his cheek no mind as he brought the bear to his chest and breathed through his mouth to contain the pain. He couldn’t help but feel at fault. He hadn't known enough, done enough, tried hard enough. Now, the children and his wife suffered for his failings.

“Loki?”

He startled at Hoyt’s voice. “They left his bear behind,” was all Loki could think to say.

“In and out of here faster than a furlong, they were.” He sat on Sara’s bed and ran his palm over her pillow. “You look like a man fixin’ to blame himself for things outta his control. I should know. I see the same face whenever I look in the mirror.”

“Lauren is devastated. They took the children from her without warning and with Marabeth's utter glee at my wife’s pain. And now I find Marabeth uses my presence in Lauren’s life as the wedge to keep her from her niece and nephew. How am I not at fault? When I told her all would be well? When I promised she would not lose them? When it was my meddling in this family which has caused this to come to light?”

“Now, hold up a minute. Sure, you and Lauren have discovered some hard truths in the past few days, but you ain't at fault for any of ‘em. In fact, without you here those kids could’a disappeared because of Samuel and his actions. Then, we may have never gotten them back or gotten them back…”

He didn't need to say dead.

“Marabeth has made it clear Lauren will have no way of visiting the children. I plan to remedy that, no matter her objections about me. But it will take time. I won't have Lauren worrying herself sick on Midgard so we will be leaving for Asgard tonight. Should you need me, walk out on your lawn, look up, and call out for Heimdall. He will hear, then see, and will inform me of your need to speak.”

“Heimdall?”

“He guards the gates of Asgard. He will hear you.” Loki pushed to his feet. “I wish you well, Hoyt. Extend our apologies to Cissy for not being here when she returns, as well as Magnolia.”

“The doc sedated her. She was a might bit… hysterical.”

“I expected.” He held out his hand and shook Hoyt’s when the man offered his. “Until we meet again.”

“Hopefully, next time won't be quite so excitin’.”

“Fates willing.” Opening a portal, he looked a final time at Hoyt. “Should news reach you of the children's disappearance along with that of Usun, do not fret for their safety.” Loki took the bear with him and walked through the opening to Ellie’s home.

A light burned in the kitchen and he headed up the stairs with swift strides. The bear he stored with the other items he carried magically and knocked on the door.

Svengil was quick to answer. “My Prince?”

“I must speak with Ellie.” Loki stepped over the threshold when the boy stepped back and looked over to see Ellie turning her cards on the kitchen table.

“Trouble comes, boy. You shouldn’t be here,” she warned.

When she lifted her head, Loki inhaled sharply. A glimmer, nothing more than a sparkle in the blue-green gaze, but there was magic in her eyes. Real magic.

Loki took the seat at her side and placed his hand on the table. “Lauren and I leave for Asgard tonight. As soon as I return to her.”

Ellie continued to gaze at him as she turned and placed a card. They were unlike any Loki had ever seen before. Old, worn, but intricately painted. “A storm approaches, one you are too late to stop.”

“I know.”

Another card turned, and her fingers traced the edge. “Your heart is heavy with grief.”

“It is.”

A third card turned. “Put it aside, Loki or the grief you feel now will be nothin’ in comparison to what is comin’.”

“Ellie,” he reached out to place his hand on the back of her frail one. “Tell me what you see.”

“Darkness…” she whispered. “Snow on trees in the heat of summer. A wolf rises against the moon as ice forms on Magnolia blossoms. A blade pressed to soft flesh and red running like rain down pale skin.”

“Lauren’s?” he asked, horror lacing his voice.

“Run,” she whispered. “Run, before it is too late.”

Loki lurched from his seat and reached out for Lauren. A wave of fear hit him, then nothing. All sense of her cut off, and he stumbled into the door frame. “No!”

“Too late,” Ellie whispered, spilling the cards from her hand across the table and slumping in her chair.

Svengil rushed toward the older woman. “She’s alright,” he said after checking her pulse. “Go, Prince Loki! Find your most gracious lady. I wish you good hunting,” the boy growled between clenched teeth.

They had bonded, Lauren and Svengil once the boy had overcome his shyness. She’s stolen another heart, the boy giving it to her willingly, and it clearly pained him to stay behind instead of joining Loki in his hunt.

“Care for Ellie.” Loki slammed out the door and found the sun had set.

He snapped his hand up, opened a portal, and walked through to the fairgrounds, arriving right behind Steve. “Where is she?”

***

Lauren let Pepper chatter, her voice a soothing drone even if she wasn’t really paying attention to the words. There was a weight in her chest like someone had poured lead into her heart. It ached, knowing the kids were out of reach. Sure they’d been hundreds of miles away when she’d been in New York, but she’d know where they were. Could pick up the phone or talk to them on Skype. This… this was different.

They were gone with no way for her to find them, and now, with Marabeth’s violent tendencies, she was even more concerned for their safety. But Loki had promised. He’d promised he could find them if they needed him, and she held onto that promise like a lifeline.

“Lauren?” Natasha nudged her gently.

“Yeah, Nat?”

“How about a drink?” She nodded toward the bar set up across the way. “Maybe a little hard lemonade?”

“Yeah.” Lauren gave a weak smile. “I think I could use a drink.”

“Make it two, Natasha,” Pepper agreed, leading Lauren to sit at a table a short distance away from everyone else.

Overhead, colourful lights twinkled, strung haphazardly but somehow still charmingly, attracting fluttering moths to their brilliance. Lauren watched them dance above the hardwood laid out for the couples swaying beneath them unaware. Music, sweet and low, sang on the air, seeming to add to her melancholy with its almost fragile tune.   

“Lauren.” Pepper squeezed her hand. “It will be alright. If there is one thing I know, when Steve and Tony present a united front, no one stands against them.”

Lauren took a deep breath and breathed out to a count of five. “I know. This is just… it's a shock. I don’t know what I expected would happen, but it wasn’t this.”

Thor settled into the chair next to her. “We will trust our friends in this while we are away. The children will be alright.”

He had such confidence, Lauren couldn’t help but feel a little better. “Y’all are right. I have to trust others to get this done when I can’t. Thank you, both. Y’all are good friends.”

“Perhaps you’d honour me with a dance then, little sister?” Thor held out his hand.

“Or I could take you to the grill and introduce you to some real barbeque?” she snickered.

“That would also be acceptable,” Thor chuckled.

Lauren took his hand and gave him a tug, grinning at Pepper when the woman laughed and led Thor toward the racks of sizzling meat. Behind the grill were the fire chief and a few of his men, some she knew from her school days and others from their years of experience.

“Chief,” Lauren smiled at him. “What have you got for a man with a big appetite?”

Slightly portly but still in decent shape for a man in his late fifties, Chief Sam Clarkson lit up like a little boy at Christmas and thrust out his hand. Unfortunately, it retained the thick metal tongs he’d been using to flip ribs with and drew it back almost as quickly as he’d thrust it out. “Sorry! I’m just, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person, King Odinson.” He thrust the tongs at one of his helpers and wiped his hand on his apron before thrusting it out again. “I wanted to introduce myself last night but couldn’t seem to make the connection. Sam Clarkson.”

Thor accepted the hand and gave it a hearty shake. “Chief Clarkson. Pleasure. Call me Thor.”

“Thor,” Sam exhaled, still gripping Thor’s hand.

Lauren hid her smile behind her hand as the Chief fangirled something fierce.

“It all smells delicious,” Thor said with a kind grin, used to fawning, and withdrew his hand.

“Yeah, yeah!” Sam smacked Jeff, his helper and another of Lauren’s classmates, in the chest. “Get Thor a couple of plates, Jeff! I hear Asgardians have big appetites.”

“Not quite as big as Volstagg’s, but big enough,” Thor chuckled.

“And you, Lauren?” Sam asked.

She shook her head and pressed a hand to her stomach. “Maybe later.”

“Well, don’t be waitin’ too long, or you’ll be outta luck,” he warned.

“Chief, in all the years you’ve been turnin’ the grill, how many times have you run out of food?” Lauren teased.

“Not once!” he boasted.

“Exactly!” Lauren chuckled.

He shook the tongs at her. “Funny girl. What about that fiancé of yours? He got a big appetite?”

“Not when it comes to food,” Thor snickered.

Lauren kicked out sideways and connected with Thor’s shin, desperately fighting her blush. “I’ll be sure to send him over when he gets back.”

The Chief nodded and began marshalling his troops to fill more than one plate.

“Little sister, if you insist on kicking me every time I tease you, I will feel the need to have Sif teach you how to do so without hurting yourself.”

She looked up at Thor and smirked. “And maybe make you flinch?”

“Maybe.” He grinned.

Lauren laughed softly and leaned into him when Thor laid his arm over her shoulder.

“A much better sound than your sorrow, darling.”

Tension immediately returned to her muscles and Thor swore softly. “It’s alright, Thor.”

“It will be,” he murmured and squeezed her shoulders gently.

The Chief returned laden with three plates piled high with everything one could want. Baby back ribs, chicken skewers, fried okra, baked beans, corn on the cob, but the last item on the one plate had Lauren gasping.

“Is that Ellen Crosby’s bacon and cheese cornbread salad?”

“Yes, ma’am it sure is!” Sam laughed and handed her the plate. “I’m afraid you’re gonna be missin’ out on that one, Thor.”

“Lauren will share,” Thor said, peering at her curiously.

“I most certainly won’t!” She shielded the plate covetously. “Ellen’s recipe is a highly guarded secret, and she only ever brings a small amount.”

“What are you not sharing?” Natasha asked, wandering up with three glasses of pale yellow liquid in hand.

“Nothin’!” Lauren yelled, continuing to hold her hand over the plate.

“Something called bacon and cheese cornbread salad,” Thor said, throwing her under the bus.

“Sounds yummy,” Natasha grinned. “I’m sure you can spare a little taste for the rest of us?”

“Nope!” Lauren snickered and walked away, heading for Pepper who was speaking with Tony, Steve, and Bucky.

“-don’t know what will happen,” Tony was saying.

“What will happen with what?” Lauren asked, frowning when they all jumped.

“Uh…” Tony stared at her wide-eyed, and Lauren set her plate down carefully.

“Tony, what’s going on?” she asked, not liking the way they were all looking guiltily at each other.

“Doll…” Bucky stepped forward and took her hands. “There was a screw-up. Not everyone who was supposed to get picked up was.”

“Oh,” Lauren whispered and swallowed the lump in her throat. “I guess… it was a good thing they came and got the kids. This… Bianci person’s not gonna be happy.”

“No, Gilli, he ain’t.” Bucky held her a little tighter. “We’re gonna do everything we can to make sure nothing happens to your family, but… we don’t know how easy it will be to get you in to see the kids.”

Her chin wobbled, but she bit her lip hard to keep it together. “I see.”

“We’ll figure this out, Lauren.”

“I know you will, Tony.” She smiled at him, but it felt brittle. “I think… I think I’m goin’ to go to the washroom. I’ll be right back. Thor,” she looked at the big blond, “go ahead and eat that. I don’t want it anymore.”

She tugged her hands from Bucky’s and turned to walk away, only to have Pepper appear at one elbow and Natasha the other. “I can go by myself.”

“We know, but I have to go too,” Pepper said.

“And until Loki gets back, I’m with you,” Natasha added.

She wasn’t stupid and glanced at Natasha. “What did Steve tell you?” The other big blond had been whispering something fierce in the redhead’s ear.

“Look, Lauren…”

“Just spit it out, Natasha!” Lauren huffed.

“Loki had a feeling.”

Lauren stopped mid-step, foot held in the air, and let it drop to the ground with a thud when Bucky walked into her spine. “Dammit, James!”

“No one expected you to just stop, woman!” he grumbled.

“Why are you followin’ us?”

“Because Loki asked me to.”

Lauren’s eyes widened. “So his feelin’ was about me?”

“Maybe.” Bucky shrugged. “It was weird, like listening to an oracle or some such shit. Wolf rising in a storm of ice, rain soaking the ground… you know. Riddles and stuff.”

On a sigh, Lauren rubbed her forehead where a headache was threatening. “I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to this, but now I really need to use the bathroom and take a minute to get my head on straight.”

They headed off as a group toward the washrooms of the fairground. As the area was used year-round for celebrations and holidays, the city had put in permanent ones to keep the citizen’s happy. Located between the games and the grandstand, the area was busy with laughing families and excited children. Teenagers in groups or pairs, walking with arms wrapped around each other in the dim light of evening, or highlighted by the flashing lights of the games and caught in the act of stealing a kiss.

The young love made Lauren’s tender heart flutter.

“I’ll wait for you here,” Bucky said, indicating the space just outside as the three women walked into the brightly lit hallway.

It ran the length of the building, separating the exterior openings from the mens and ladies areas.

Surprised to find it empty, Lauren watched Natasha check out the space and look around. “I’m just going to check the other side.”

With dual entrances, Lauren wasn’t surprised. Natasha was nothing if not thorough, and the washroom was accessible from the front or back of the building.

“You do you, Nat,” Lauren called as she and Pepper went to answer nature’s call.

Finishing first, Lauren made her way to the sink and was in the process of washing her hands when the presence at her back had her looking up. The image in the mirror made her freeze. “George? What are you doin’ here? How did you- where’s Natasha?”

“The redhead is preoccupied,” he mumbled. “This would have been a lot easier if you’d just let dad win your basket. Instead, I had to wait till you lost the freak.”

She wanted to defend Loki, but he shifted enough for her to see the gun he held. “George… what are you doin’?” Lauren turned slowly around as Pepper’s door opened down the aisle.

The gun swung toward Pepper, but before Lauren could move, it was back pointing at her. “Don’t, Lauren. I don’t want to hurt you.” He motioned for Pepper to join her at the sink. “I need you to come with me.”

“George, that ain’t gonna happen. There’s nowhere for you to go. Just put the gun down and leave. Bucky’s right outside,” Lauren warned.

“Oh, I know. I paid a couple of kids to keep him occupied while we go out the other way. Don’t!” he hissed when Lauren opened her mouth. “I need you alive. That doesn’t mean I won’t kill your friend.”

Again the gun swung toward Pepper.

“Okay!” Lauren held up her hands. “What do you want?”

“Out the door. We’re gonna take a little walk.” He motioned them to proceed him.

“Lauren…” Pepper murmured and clutched Lauren’s hand. “Everything will be fine. Just stay calm…” A gasp left both their lips when they found Natasha lying unconscious on the ground.

Lauren made to move toward her, but George stepped between them. “What did you do?”

“She’ll be fine. I’m sure she’s been hit in the head before.” He flicked the gun toward the door.

“George, what’s this about? Where are we going?” Lauren asked, stalling, hoping Bucky would notice they’d taken too long, or Natasha would wake up.

“Your boy toy got me in a heap of trouble. Now you’re gonna help me fix it.”

As they walked out of the bathroom, he grabbed Lauren by the arm and shoved the gun into her spine. “There’s a van across the way. Start walking.”

“You don’t need Pepper for this. Let her go.”

“So she can run back and tell the others? I don’t think so.”

The gun dug into her spine, and Lauren glanced at Pepper. She looked a hell of a lot calmer than Lauren felt. Catching her eye, Pepper gave a little smirk and tapped her watch.

Of course! Pepper had often muttered about Tony putting trackers on her. Everything from earrings to watches to shoes had undetectable tech within allowing him to find her anywhere. It was as they approached the vehicle, Lauren remembered her own tracking device.

“George,” she tried one last time. “If you do this, Loki will kill you.”

“If I don’t, ma and Darlene are dead.”

“What?” she gasped in horror as the doors to the van opened, revealing three more men. Fear hit hard when she was dragged inside, and a rag was thrust over her mouth, cutting off her cry for Loki. Chemicals assaulted her nose, and Lauren saw no more.

***

The Captain flinched before turning around, stepping out of the way so Loki could see Natasha holding the bunch of paper towel to her head. “She went with Bucky, Nat, and Pepper to the washroom. Bucky waited outside, but Natasha got sucker punched. Neither Pepper or Lauren came out, and when Buck went in, he found Nat unconscious on the other side of the room.”

“Stark’s got a tracker on Pepper,” Bucky offered. “I’m so sorry, Loki. I don’t know what happened. There were these kids and by the time too much time had passed… they were gone.”

“It’s my fault,” Natasha said. “I’m the one who got careless. Letting some idiot hit me like that.”

Thor, Natasha, and Tony were all staring at him, but all Loki could see was blood dripping down Lauren’s pale skin.

He stepped toward Natasha who flinched, but he only lifted his hand and sent a glimmer of green and gold magic to the wound in her skull. Then, he threw a hard look at the Captain and Barnes. “You had… _one_ job,” he growled, flexing his fingers and turning in the direction of Lauren’s torque. “I do not need Stark’s tracker. I know exactly where my wife is and assume Pepper is with her.”

“Then let’s get them back,” Bucky stated.

Loki turned his head and glared at Barnes. “I will get them back.”

“Not without me,” Stark snapped, pressing the button on his watch which would call in his suit.

“Loki…”

He looked at his brother. “There is no excuse, Thor.” He raked his gaze across the others. “I warned you, you would not want to see what would happen if she were injured or taken. Pity you did not listen.”

Before any of them could speak, Loki turned on his heel and let the rage welling in his soul consume him. Magic licked out in whips and arcs, snapped and cracked in the air. Lightning streaked the sky, Thor’s angry addition to the night. Between one step and the next, he went from Midgardian male to Asgardian God. Cape, helmet, staff, and all, and walked away from the fairgrounds into the forest. Behind him, people celebrated still, laughed and danced, utterly unaware of the danger they were in with the rapidly dropping temperature.

The presence of the others registered, and he stopped to speak over his shoulder. “Come if you must, but stay out of my way.”

Stark’s suit landed, and the man stepped into it. 

Loki waved his hand, a flash of magic returning them to their superhero personas. A second flash saw him reverting to a much larger version of the wolf who’d played with Lauren but days ago.

The kidnappers hadn’t gone far, likely waiting for Lauren to wake before getting underway with whatever nefarious plan they had schemed up. He could have opened a portal and walked into the lion’s den, but he had no way of knowing what he was stepping into if he did, or what danger he would place Lauren and Pepper in if he should dare. Plus, there was a reason Svengil wished him good hunting.

Lifting his muzzle, he howled, a warning and a way of letting Lauren know he was coming. No one would keep him from her. No one would stand in his way. No one would survive if they tried. He was gone in a flick of tail and ruffle of fur as the first snowflakes began to fall.

“Damn. He’s fast,” Bucky said, to Thor. “How the hell do we track that?”

Thor looked at him with hard eyes. “Follow the snow. If you want to keep any of those who took her alive, I’d suggest you hurry.”

Tony grabbed Thor’s arm before he could take off. “What is this, Thor?”

“It’s a hunt. They took Loki’s wife, not just wife but his bonded _Ástvinur_. There will be no stopping him.” Pulling away, Thor leapt into the air, Stark hot on his heels, while the others rushed to follow the path of swiftly thickening snowflakes falling in July.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Warnings: Death, maiming, language

 

* * *

Lauren woke to sticky heat and the scratch of something against her hand. Her first instinct was to move, jolt upright, search for Pepper, and scream for Loki, but caution won out.

Natasha had talked her through this. So had Bucky. Hostage takings, kidnapping attempts, dangerous situations. All of the above had been covered because she was Tony Stark’s assistant and could, potentially, wind up in one of any number of scenarios. Hence the demand she learn self-defence, though those lessons had been a heck of a long time ago, and she hadn’t exactly kept up with the training.

She tried to keep her breathing steady and body relaxed, not wanting her captors to know she had awoken yet. A twitch of hands assured her they were bound together. A second showed her feet weren’t. Evidently, they weren’t worried about her running away.

Inhaling as deeply as possible without making it obvious, she breathed in the familiar scents of barn. Hay. Dust. The musty smell which could only come from the use of animals. The scent of hide and leather made her think horse, but there was a tang of metal too. A combination of animal and farm equipment. But everything was muted, stale and old like the place hadn’t been used in a while.

Perhaps the farm was abandoned? The barn now standing idle.

 _Great. That narrowed it down_ , she thought sarcastically and sighed internally.

She had no idea how long she’d been out but assumed not long or Loki would already be there. This, in turn, surprised her. Whatever chemical they’d used to knock her out should have lasted a while, or so she’d always thought, but perhaps this was another side effect of going from human to Asgardian. Maybe her metabolism was higher, or the drugs didn’t work like they should.

More questions to ask Loki when he arrived.

The sound of shuffling had her relaxing all her muscles and slowly cracking open her eyes. She could see three men. Two she didn’t know, but George was the third. A soft snuffling came from the left, and Lauren carefully tilted her chin to see who it was, worried about Pepper.

Instead, she found Cricket and Darlene. Both tied to chairs. Both sobbing quietly. And two more men.

Movement from the right heralded Davis Montgomery and a short, balding man Lauren remembered from Tony’s briefing. Alonzo Mancini, cousin to Giovanni Bianci. They came in through a wide doorway which led out into the night.

“I did what you asked. Now let my wife go,” Davis was saying, his face a mask of tightly controlled anger.

“You got me two women. How do I know for certain either will be the leverage you say she is, eh?” Mancini asked, his accent thick, making him difficult for Lauren to understand.

“It’s the blonde! She’s the one you want. The redhead was just collateral damage,” George barked, only for Davis to glare at him.

“Shut up, George! I think you’ve done quite enough!” Davis hissed. “Now, I’ve paid you what you asked to release my wife. She and I are leavin’.” He walked past Mancini toward Cricket, only to have one of the two goons behind the women pull out a gun and point it at Cricket’s temple.

Davis stopped when Cricket screamed.

Lauren tried not to flinch at the sound.

He held up his hands in surrender. “I’ve done everythin’ you’ve asked. I can’t be blamed for her _fiancé_ outbiddin’ me! They never entertained any other offers!” Davis snapped.

“You should’a tried harder, yeah?” Mancini smirked. “Maybe I should shoot your wife for wasting my time?”

Cricket’s eyes went wild, but Davis only looked at her calmly and motioned to the bag sitting beside Cricket’s chair. “I’ve given you everythin’ I have. Fifteen million was all I could put together on short notice. I don’t care what you do to my son or his woman, just let me take my wife and go.”

Lauren inhaled sharply but thankfully no one noticed. He would do that? Just abandon George and Darlene without a second thought? What the hell kind of father was he?

Mancini stared at him for quite some time before motioning to his henchman to release Cricket. She stood on shaky legs, cast a glance at the sobbing Darlene, and rushed toward Davis who clutched her close.

They headed for the door, but Davis stopped when he was even with George. “I no longer have a son. Don’t ever contact us again.”

George looked away from the condemning eyes but nodded his understanding.

While they had their exchange, Mancini locked eyes with the man who’d held the gun on Cricket and smiled. It was so cold and so deadly, Lauren shuddered. The henchman grinned and sauntered forward to follow Cricket and Davis as they left the barn. There was silence for all of a moment before two shots rang out in quick succession.

Darlene yelped, George flinched, but it was Lauren who jolted and gasped.

_Dear God!_

She had no misgivings that Cricket and Davis were still alive. However, her involuntary reaction had drawn attention to herself.

Mancini was staring at her now with his beady little dead eyes. “Awake, bella? How peculiar.”

The sound of his voice made her skin crawl as Lauren pushed herself upright. Someone had thrown a blanket down on the pile of straw she’d been laying in, likely the only reason she wasn’t itching something fierce. “Why would you let them go only to kill them?” she asked, horror lacing every word and bile rising in her throat. They may have been misguided and blind to their son’s machinations, but they deserved better than a couple of bullets.

“It is like he said,” Mancini smiled as he walked closer, causing Lauren to shrink back. “I had gotten everything I could from him. They were no longer of use.”

His stubby fingers grabbed her chin, then dug into her jaw when she tried to pull her face away. “Hold still!” he snapped and wrapped his hand around her torque. He jerked on it, but it didn’t budge, just banged the back of her neck and made her grunt. “Why can I not remove this? It will fetch a pretty price.”

Pain radiated through her jaw, making Lauren whimper. His dead eyes held hers caught in a spell of evil like she’d never seen, but it was the howl of a wolf rising to tear through the night which burned away the terror trying to take her over.

Loki. He was coming. Such relief filled her, Lauren smirked against the strong fingers digging into her face.

“You smile, bella. Why?” Mancini asked, giving her torque another hard tug.

“You’ve made a big, big fuckin’ mistake.” She wondered if the glee showed on her face or if it was madness which caused his breath to hitch.

He frowned, tilted his head, and his eyes narrowed. In a flash, he’d released her jaw only to haul his hand back and strike her in the face, then punch her in the temple.

Lauren crashed to her side with a groan, pain exploding in her cheekbone and head, and her vision wavered. Blood splashed on her hands from the cut her teeth had made to the inside of her cheek and the world spun.

This time, a roar rattled the rafters and sent dust falling down from the ceiling.

“Yeah,” she snickered through the pain and dizziness. “Big fuckin’ mistake.”

Everyone had frozen at the sound, each reaching for a weapon, except George who looked terrified. Darlene had started to cry in earnest but she paid the woman no mind. There was no room for weakness. Not now. Not when Loki was on his way. She would not cower and cry. She wasn’t some helpless child anymore.

Lauren spat more blood and chuckled darkly, finding Pepper had been behind her all along. She remained unconscious still, and Lauren thanked the fates for small mercies.

“What… what the fuck is that?” the man who’d shot Cricket and Davis asked.

“Death,” Lauren whispered and smiled when Mancini glared at her.

He grabbed her by the hair and wrenched her head up. “Who is it? What is it?”

“What did you do, George?” she asked instead, focusing on the man who’d slunk over to huddle in the chair beside Darlene. “What did you tell them? Did you think y’all could ransom me back? Trade me for money?”

“For gold and jewels of the quality he received to pay us off? Yes!” hissed Mancini who jerked her up to her feet.

She cried out in agony when the pain seared across her scalp. Her shoes were missing, another way to keep her from running most likely, allowing rocks and rough wood to dig into the pads of her feet as she stumbled after him.

Mancini kept her head wrenched back and dragged her toward the center of the barn. His men gathered around them, facing the two openings on either end of the structure.

“He won’t pay you,” Lauren laughed, the temperature around them plummeting to the point her breath puffed out in clouds of white. “He’s just gonna kill all of y’all.”

Mancini wrapped his arm around her waist and pressed a gun tightly to her belly. His hand released her hair, but the singing sound of steel leaving a sheath was unmistakable before a large, sharp blade was placed firmly against her throat. “Shut up, bitch! He’ll pay, or he’ll watch you bleed!”

“You,” Lauren swallowed to wet her dry throat and felt the blade cut in, sending rivulets of red trickling down her throat. “You don’t know who you’re dealin’ with. I’m bettin’ George didn’t tell you.”

“Tell us what!” Mancini snapped, sounding frantic and wild. His men whipped their weapons side to side. The feeling of malice seeming to pound down on them, soaking the air with the scent of the men’s fear.

Snow was falling beyond the open doors, turning the world into a blizzard of white, fluttering on biting cold winds. It blanketed the ground and snuck through the holes in the ceiling to create puddles of white on the barn floor.

“Oh, my. You’ve made him very angry,” Lauren murmured, staring at the winter scene with quiet amusement.

Frost had begun to creep toward them like a living thing. It coated walls, beams, the ceiling. Snaked across the ground to where Pepper lay, paused, and circled around her, leaving her in a patch of untouched blanket.

It grew ever closer until Mancini’s men had backed as close to him as possible, not daring to touch the icy white substance which seemed to have a mind of its own.

Mancini’s knife dug deeper. “Tell us what that is?” he snarled, jabbing the point into Lauren’s soft flesh and sending fresh blood coursing down her throat.

She eyed George and Darlene in their own circle of untouched ground. “My husband… is not to be… trifled with. He is a God, after all.”

A growl followed her words, deep and feral before the head of an enormous black wolf dropped down to stare in the doorway. White teeth flashed. Yellow eyes glowed. Then he was gone. Long legs and giant feet paced past the opening to circle the barn. His shadow could be seen through the gaps in the boards and the low, continuous snarl allowed for easy tracking when they turned as one to follow his progress.

“If you let me and Pepper go, I may be able to convince him not to kill you,” Lauren offered.

“What… what the fuck?” Mancini’s muttered. “What the fuck is that thing?”

Lauren knew she shouldn’t find this funny, but she couldn’t help but snicker just a little. “Loki is the God of Mischief, an Avenger, and my husband. Y’all really should let me go.”

The knife at her throat only dug deeper, sending hot blood sliding down her skin. It made Lauren whimper a second time.

“You should listen to my wife.”

The words whispered through the open door as the wolf came to a stop a second time. Head lowered, the yellow-gold eyes had gone red with his rage. Even his black fur had taken on a blue cast. The temperature had dropped further, causing Lauren to shiver and ice to crystallize in the air with every breath.

“Shoot it!” snapped Mancini.

They opened fire, but the wolf swirled into curls of snow and vanished. The gunfire ended, and the silence was defending until a sharp crack resounded behind them.

Mancini dragged her around in time to watch the first body fall. The man’s head was twisted the wrong direction, nearly torn from his neck, and Lauren felt a little sick.

“My heart. I wish you would not watch this,” Loki murmured, his voice coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

“It’s you, peaches,” she whispered, knowing he’d hear her. “I know you. Nothin’ you do will ever scare me.” A brush of hand caressed her cheek, there and then gone, and _elskan min_ whispered in her ear.

Wicked laughter bounced through the building and echoed off the walls. “You should not have taken my _Ástvinur_. You will know pain before you know death.”

A low growl preceded the wolf arriving in the opposite doorway. They turned and fired again, only to have another of Mancini’s henchmen die, this one screaming and gurgling blood when the dagger pierced his chest.

“I’ll kill her!” Mancini barked, jamming the gun under Lauren’s rib cage. “I’ll blow the bitch away!”

His last two men fell at the same time, spraying blood in massive arcs when something sharp and jagged tore out their throats. Only then did Loki appear before them.

Knelt on the ground, his head was bowed. The horns she loved obscured his face, but shining blue blades were outstretched and dripped blood onto the sparkling white snow. “Release her, and I will grant you a merciful death.”

“Take one more step and she dies!” Mancini snarled.

***

Thunder cracked in the distance, but what rain Thor was creating froze the instant it came in contact with the wall of Loki's rage and only added to the snow falling around them. Slowly, Loki lifted his head and got to his feet, lowering his arms to his sides.

He took in the state of his love and felt his soul freeze with her appearance.

Blood. Blood dripped down her beautiful skin. Bruises marred her face and the length of her jaw. The most enticing length. The favourite place for his lips, the part of her which drew him in in that first moment of meeting had been damaged by the man who continued to press a knife to her throat and a gun to her abdomen.

“My heart.” He could feel the pain she was in. The cold, his cold, was keeping much of it at bay, and the adrenaline singing in her veins the rest, but soon it would not be enough to keep her from collapsing. However, the light in her eyes had not diminished, only grown.

There was a fire in her. Amusement burned with mischief and his magic in those gemstone eyes. She radiated a calm which astounded him. Bloody, bruised, and beaten, she was a creature glorious to behold. Her trust in him was without end. She hadn’t a reason to panic for she knew he would come.

“Loki.” The knife dug in and forced her to lift her chin.

“Stay back!” Mancini barked.

“My darling. Everything will be alright.”

“I know, _elskan min_ ,” she murmured and smiled, showing him the blood in her teeth.

He vanished his knives and held up his hands. “What do you want?” Loki asked the man holding her.

Already his knife was slick with Lauren's blood. Too much blood, but then a single drop was too much.

Mancini grinned, thinking he had the upper hand. “Gold. Jewels. The kind you made him. And then this little bitch and I will be leaving.”

“That,” Loki smiled, “will never happen. You will not leave here with my wife.” He would not be leaving here alive. His death had been assured from the moment he’d laid a hand on Loki’s woman

“Loki,” Lauren whispered, her voice too low for Mancini to hear.

Her hands lifted toward the one holding the gun at her waist, and his eyes widened in understanding. Absolute terror filled him. “Lauren! No!”

Everything slowed to a crawl as she shoved the gun away. Loki leapt forward, grabbing Mancini’s wrist. He wrenched the gun hand forward, the blast defending when the gun went off. Loki’s other hand crushed the bones in the man’s wrist before Mancini could draw the blade across Lauren’s throat.

Mancini howled in agony, a gratifying sound, and dropped the knife.

Loki’s heart beat in his ears as he stared into Lauren’s eyes and held Mancini’s hands away from her.

She smiled. “I knew you’d come.” Then, her mouth opened on a pained gasp, and she looked down.

His gaze followed and time stopped.

Red was beginning to stain the white polka dots on her dress.

“No…”

“Loki…”

Pain ripped through her and into him, the searing agony of a bullet wound tearing apart her delicate flesh.

Loki lost the hold he had on his humanity when she slipped slowly to the ground at his feet, her hands going to the wound in her side. “What have you done?” he whispered, his gaze returning to the fear filled eyes of Mancini. “ _What have you done_!?” he roared.

Manici screamed when the flesh beneath Loki's hands began to blacken. The screams didn't end until the black of necrotic skin crawled it's way up his throat and down his open mouth to freeze his lungs and stop his heart. Rage at the quick death filled him, and Loki threw the corpse at the wall where it shattered into chunks of ice and crystallized blood.

“Loki…” Lauren whimpered.

He dropped to his knees and tore the bonds from her wrists before ripping open the side of her dress. Though blood flowed freely, it appeared the bullet had only seared a deep gash in her side to which he quickly set his hand.

“It's alright, darling. Just a flesh wound. You'll be alright,” he promised, his magic healing the worst of the damage, and pulled her into his lap as gently as possible where he rested their foreheads together. “But don't you ever do something so foolish ever again!”

“You were…” she whimpered and tears began to flow, “takin’ forever.”

“I needed only seconds to hamper the gun! Seconds you didn't give me,” he hissed, clutching her to him. “I could have lost you, foolish girl! I could have… and I've only just found you.”

“I'm here,” she whispered and caressed his cheek, smearing her blood on his face. “Right here.”

“But you were taken and all because of one imbecile!” Loki snarled and lifted burning red eyes to George. Unwilling to leave Lauren for even a second, he sent an avatar of himself across the barn and ripped George from the ground where he was huddled behind his woman. “Coward! You think I won’t kill you where you stand?” He shook George like he was a doll.

“Loki,” Lauren called softly. “They took Darlene and his mama.”

He glanced at her. “Then he should have come to us! Six Avengers! He had ample time to approach any one of us and explain. Instead, he kidnaps you and Pepper.” Loki shifted his gaze back to Montgomery. “Be thankful I arrived before Stark. You took his woman as well.” Loki smiled maliciously. “Perhaps I should leave you for the Iron Man to deal with, but then we had a deal, didn't we, Montgomery? One you have now broken.” Loki lifted him high and pulled a dagger from the air.

“Stop! Please, stop!”

He looked at the woman still bound to the chair, tearstained and ugly. “You should not draw my wrath, woman. After all, you had a hand in these plans from the beginning. I had mercy once. I took pity for the unborn child in your womb. But my mercy is not without end!”

“Loki.” Lauren's hands cupped his face and pulled his attention back to her. “They killed his mama and daddy, right outside. Isn't that enough? Can this be enough killin’?”

He looked up from her to find Stark and Thor in one doorway, with Barnes, Natasha, and the Captain in the other. No one moved, but Lauren shivered, and he realized he had not released the icy cold rage around him.

“Please?” she whispered, bringing him closer with the gentle caress of her hands. “Please,” she breathed against his lips.

Her kiss was not but a brush of lips and a breath of air as the strength fled her body. Her shivers grew in earnest. The mild blue tinge to her lips took his breath, and the temperature immediately warmed.

His avatar disappeared and George fell to the ground.

“For you, beloved. Only for you,” Loki whispered, kissing her tenderly. He stroked his fingers over her throat, healing the deep cuts which still seeped blood, berating himself for not having seen to those sooner.

Stark and Natasha hurried toward Pepper. The snow turned to rain and began to pound down through the openings in the roof.

“Thor, must you?” Loki huffed, eyeing his brother who waved a hand at the roof.

The rain cut off, and the sky instantly cleared to reveal a bright moon, casting its silver light down on the last of the disappearing snow.

He cradled Lauren close and got carefully to his feet, holding her as if she were fragile glass. Death surrounded them, blood and bone and shattered limbs, but he walked out of the circle of it without looking back, striding smoothly toward the Captain and Barnes.

“God, Gilli!” Bucky burst out when they got closer, his hand closing around her outstretched one.

“I'm alright. Or at least I will be.” She gave both soldiers a wan smile.

“Do I need to ask if this was necessary?” Steve asked, eyeing the bodies left behind before turning his focus to Lauren. Her appearance apparently qualified as an answer when Steve's face hardened and he muttered, “Never mind.”

“How's Pepper?” Lauren asked when Tony appeared, packing a groggy Miss Potts in his arms.

“Woosy, but there’s not a scratch on her,” Tony said, his mask popping up.

“She helped me stay calm… when it was happenin’,” Lauren murmured. “She didn't panic. She knew you'd come. The tracker in her watch. Just like I knew… Loki... would...” Lauren’s voice trailed off, her head lolled, and she went limp in his arms.

“Gilli!” Bucky gasped.

Loki wrapped her in his magic and checked her over. “She's alright. It is a combination of blood loss and the cold. She is exhausted and we are leaving.”

“What of this one, brother?” Thor asked his hand on the back of George’s neck.

“He broke faith with the God of Mischief. Unfortunately, I have an _Ástvinur_ with a kind heart.” He locked gazes with the cowering Montgomery. “Though that will be your last bit of luck for the rest of your days. She grants your life. Remember that. As to what to do with him… let him go. He has his own dead to bury. The blood of your parents, it is on your hands.”

Loki looked down at Lauren, still bloody, still bruised, and then up at the star-bedecked sky. “It is time for us to leave.” He wanted the comfort and security of Asgard’s stone walls around the woman who was his heart for a while. A safe place where she would be protected. “Will you see to the rest? Her family, the children? Let Svengil know she is safe so her Gran won’t fret, and watch over her cat while we are gone?”

“We will,” Bucky promised, but they all nodded. Already, Natasha was in contact with SHIELD to deal with the mess.

“You have my gratitude,” Loki murmured as he and Thor walked a little way into the night and turned to face their teammates.

“It is odd,” Loki murmured.

“What?” Thor asked.

“I do believe I will miss… our... friends.” Loki looked at Thor and couldn't help but smirk at his brother's wide grin.

Thor laughed before looking at the sky. “Heimdall! The prodigal son returns!”

The Bifröst opened, but Loki looked down at Lauren and held her just a little tighter. “Let us go home, my love.”

Home. To Asgard. He could not wait to show her the wonders of his realm. The rest - her sister, the children - it would all come in time for the Norns were far more benevolent than he had ever believed.

He placed a tender kiss on her forehead and let the magic sweep them away.

* * *

- ** _Thus ends Balance on the Head of a Pin. Join me for their next adventure, Of Blood and Roses._**


End file.
